Mirror Mirror: Merlin style!
by j3swimmer
Summary: Title pretty much speaks for itself. My attempt at writing Mirror, Mirror but with the characters of Merlin. Snow White replaced with no other than Merlin, the Prince with Arthur, and the evil Queen with King Alined. There will also be appearances from the knights, Gwen, Gaius, and probably a few others. In other words, slightly adapted version of snow white with Merthur.
1. Prologue

**AN: Short first chapter! But, I am trying something new and writing two stories at the same time, so this should be interesting. I am also still rather unsure how this one will work out, so it will be even more interesting!**

**But, yes, this is it, the Mirror Mirror Merlin fic I promised you! If you saw the movie, this might seem very familiar, as I tried to take as much from the evil queen's speech as possible. I had to change quite a bit though, so still different. Unfortunately, what Merlin's do best is fly, not fall, so the end is a little silly. Umm... otherwise, should be fun! Hopefully my mind won't explode part way through writing this... Good news is I started watching the movie again, and Prince Charming is actually exactly like Arthur. It is fabulous. **

**I still don't own Merlin. I am also do not own Mirror, Mirror. Just my ridiculous brain which seems to have the need to replace the characters in every movie I watch with the characters from Merlin.**

**Enjoy! And maybe review... :)**

Prologue

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, a baby boy was born. His skin as pure as snow, his hair as dark as night. And they named him Merlin. A silly name, really, after a falcon. As if they expected him to be graceful and strong, like his namesake.

As he grew, Merlin proved to be neither of these things, he was clumsy and slim. But, he did grow into a kind, intelligent young man, even though he was spoiled by his parents. They could afford to of course, as they were king and queen of the land. They loved Merlin and their people very much, and all their subjects loved them in return. The kingdom was a happy place where people danced and sang day and night. Apparently no one had a job back then, just dancing and singing all day, and all night, but I digress. Until one day a darkness fell over the land. King Balinor left his wife and son, in order to face the beast that had caused his subjects such fear. Although the beast did not return, neither did Balinor, and the land was left without a king and Merlin without a father.

The people mourned their loss, but Hunith shouldered her husband's duties spectacularly. She protected the people and cared for her son and the land prospered once more. She taught Merlin all he would need to know to one day rule over the land. But, Hunith worried that others would deem a kingdom with only a queen weak, so to prevent the attacks that seemed to be looming from the neighboring lands, Queen Hunith decided to look for a new king. The man she found was the most handsome in all the land. He was strong and intelligent and, just to clarify, he was me. And this is my story, not Merlin's.

Bewitched by my beauty Hunith begged me to marry her. I was everything to her, the stars, the moon, but sadly it was not meant to last. Hunith fell ill barely a month after we were wed, Merlin staying by her bedside day in and day out, until one morning he woke to find that his mother's eyes would no longer open, the sickness having claimed her life, leaving her son with only his father's dagger and her everlasting love to remind him of his lost parents.

Again the kingdom mourned. Merlin was devastated at the loss of both his parents. As he was still a boy, he was left under the care of the handsome king. Ten years passed, and Merlin grew older and blossomed. His powers grew as well, for you see, Merlin was not only a prince, but also a warlock. He had inherited the powers from his father, but even from a young age they proved to be stronger than any had seen before. So, for his own good of course, I had two bracelets fashioned that would keep his magic from destroying him and hurting those he cared for. Unfortunately, these bracelets also made Merlin weak, forcing him to stay in his bedroom, too frail to visit the people as he used to with his parents.

And so the strong, handsome, king ruled the land as his stepson would never be fit to assume the throne. But, the people began to grow restless. They did not understand the king's need for the money he took in taxes and resented him, and whispers began to spread, whispers hoping that the son of the previous rulers might be better suited for the throne than I was. So, for the good of the people, I would have to end this, and Merlin would have to fall.


	2. Chapter 1: A Tale of Two Princes

**AN: Hello! Slightly longer chapter this time. And Arthur! yay!**

**Anyhoo, I hope you guys like it! Sorry if the updates for this one take a while. The other story I am working on is getting a lot of attention (for one of my stories) and is making it super tempting to work on that one and neglect this one. Sorry! I guess the best way to fix that would be to review...**

**Sorry. Do what you will. I'm happy that people are reading this :)**

**And I still don't own Merlin or Mirror Mirror. I wish I owned a pair of the legs the dwarfs used though, those things were awesome.**

**Oh, and I don't mean to offend anyone with the dwarfs. They are amazing, and I am mostly trying to follow the movies. I hope that no one takes anything Arthur or Ethan says personally. Sorry :/**

Chapter 1: A Tale of Two Princes

Merlin leaned out of his window, staring at the beautiful, frozen world around him. The lake below the castle was completely frozen, reminding him of the days his mother, and, although these memories were hazier, father all went down to ice state together. His parents would announce a day of rest on the first day the lake was fully frozen and ready to be skated upon each winter, and all the servants, maids, and other workers from the castle would go down to slide across the ice. Other times they would take Merlin down to the village on the other side of the lake, where he would get to play in the snow with the other children who lived there, while his parents went about their duties. He always had had to have a guard with him, but the people loved their prince, so no one would have hurt him even without the burly body guard out protecting him. At the end of those days his parents would take him back to the castle, and they would snuggle up on the big bed in their room and sip hot coco while watching the sun set from the high windows. He missed them, sometimes more than he could bare, but he had to be strong, or at least as strong as he could be with his condition.

As he turned to walk back into the room, a small blue bird flew in through his still-opened window, perching on the edge of his chair. Merlin had always had a way with animals. He couldn't explain it, they just didn't seem to be frightened of him as they were so many others. And as he got so few visitors, the bird was a welcome addition to his lavishly-decorated-but-somehow-still-so-empty room. As thanks, Merlin cut off a piece of the apple he had been eating and gave it to the small bird, who chirped happily before flying back out of the window. Watching it go, Merlin wished he too could sprout wings and fly away, just like the small bird and the larger falcons he was named after. He wanted to be free, to live, instead of being kept in his tower like one of the priceless treasures his step-father had purchased since he became king.

So, Merlin left his room, and headed down to the main hall. His step-father was practically always throwing parties there; maybe he could attend this one, seeing as it was his twenty-first birthday. He fiddled with the bracelets he was required to wear as he walked towards the large hall. The skin underneath was always blistered and raw, but if they kept him from hurting those closest to him he would do whatever it took, put up with any amount of pain. They only seemed to get worse as he grew older, and he was forced to spend more and more days not even leaving his bed. But, today he felt strong. He was twenty-one now, and nothing could stop him.

As he crept quietly into the main hall, Merlin was greeted with a strange sight. Most of the courtiers were watching as the king and his right hand woman, the Lady Catrina played chess with real people. Well, ordered a bunch of fancily dressed servants with strange looking ships on their heads around an over sized chess board. It was definitely a strange sight. Merlin just overheard the end of a conversation about how the kingdom was going broke and King Alined really should marry the Lady Catrina, gaining not only a new wife but also a large estate. Apparently the king did not take to this suggestion very well, and Merlin might not exactly have blamed him, the Lady Catrina did somewhat resemble a troll. Still, creating a new law that would have anyone caught thinking put to death was probably going a bit too far to stop the rumors of the kingdom's destitution. Merlin didn't want to be sent back to his room or suffer whatever other punishment Alined would have for him if he spoke up, so he remained silent, watching the court from the sidelines, trying not to stand out. It didn't work. As the Lady Catrina planned her next move, King Alined coughed, glanced over at Merlin and asked, "Merlin, is there a fire?"

Merlin was confused. Did it smell like smoke? What kind of question was that? So, he responded, "What do you mean, Sire?"

"Come here." Alined ordered, pointing to the stop in front of his feet. Merlin acquiesced, sitting obediently at the king's feet as he ordered another one of his pieces to move. "Is your bedroom on fire?" to which Merlin shook his head, slowly, still not really understanding what the king meant. The king sighed, and continued, "Because I am searching for a reason as to why you would be out of your bedroom, and my first thought was fire." Alined explained with a smile. Merlin frowned, a blush spreading across his face as the rest of the courtiers laughed at the joke made at his expense. After the laughter died down, Merlin raised his head and replied with as much curtsey as he could muster, "I was wondering if I could come to your party, just this once, as it is my twenty-first birth day."

"Is it now." Alined replied with a smirk, reaching down to pat Merlin on the shoulder. Merlin couldn't help but wonder what his mother had seen in this man during their brief marriage as he ordered another one of his pieces to move and turned back to Merlin, saying, "Maybe it is time I let up on you a bit, seeing as you are the son of my dear deceased wife, and you really have done nothing to harm me." Merlin nodded, hoping that he might actually have found a still human part of his step-father's heart after all this time. "But," well, so much for those hopes, "something about you just annoys me. Your silly smile, the clumsy way you walk, your large ears. Yes, I think it is the ears." Alined said thoughtfully, before reaching down and seizing one of Merlin's slightly larger than normal ears in his hands. His mother had always said she loved his ears, that she thought they were adorable, and that they made him unique. He didn't want Alined touching them. But he remained still as the king yanked him forward saying, "I don't care if it is your one-hundredth birthday, if I see you out of your chambers again I will have to punish you."

That made Merlin wince. His back was still sore from the last time Alined had to punish him. Merlin had snuck into a council meeting, and was watching as one of the families from the village he used to visit was charged for not paying their taxes. It was obvious that they barely had enough money to survive, so when the Alined ordered that the father be imprisoned until the rest of the family was able to pay, Merlin ran forward, standing between the guards and the man, saying that he would sell some of his things in order to fill the debt the family owed. He had too many frilly outfits and useless trinkets anyway. Alined had been furious, and although he did accept the offer to maintain face in front of the people, he had ordered Merlin be flogged as well for talking back to his king. Merlin had not been able to leave bed for a week, the long gashes on his back definitely not helping with the sickness that went along with keeping his powers tapped. As Merlin shuddered at that memory, Alined ordered another chess piece forward, and announced his victory, saying, "Catrina, you have been beaten for the last three moves and didn't even know it." Then, turning back to Merlin he said, "It's important to know when you've been beaten."

Merlin kept his gaze to the floor as the people in the room applauded his step-father's win. As the other people in the hall clapped, Merlin rushed out, but instead of heading back to his chambers, he went down to the kitchens. The king and other courtiers never went down here, so there was no chance he would be caught. When he reached the bottom of the stairs leading into the dingy kitchens, he was greeted by a loud "Happy Birthday!"

"You remembered!" Merlin said happily as he rushed into the arms of his only friends left. Alice was holding a cake while the other serving staff watched him, waiting for him to blow out the candles. When he did, they all cheered again before Gwen, one of the serving maids he was closest to, took the cake and cut it, handing out pieces to all the servants who had gathered. Merlin munched happily while the serving staff congratulated him, until Alice pulled him over to a bench and sat him down.

"Merlin," The older serving maid said, "I was happy to serve your parents, and I stay because I believe that one day you will take your rightful place as king. But King Alined is unfit to rule. He taxes the people to starvation. You are twenty-one now, a real man. It is time you did something to change this. You are the only one who has the power to fix this."

Merlin frowned. "I want to help, Alice, but what could I do? I am weak. I can't stand against my step-father, he would kill me before I got a chance to fight back. The knights and nobles are loyal to him, even if he doesn't hold the people's best interests in his heart. I try to stand against him, but nothing changes."

"You are not weak, Merlin. Don't let Alined convince you otherwise. You are the strongest sorcerer I have ever met, and with your powers you will be able to stop him."

"I can't Alice, you know that. I wasn't able to control my powers. They were a hazard to everyone around me, as well as myself. It's best that they stay suppressed."

"Who told you that? Alined. Alined has spent this entire time trying to convince you that you are dangerous, that you would hurt us. Before he came, did your powers even once harm another living thing? Your magic is a gift Merlin. Soon, you will see that. I have something for you." Alice said, handing Merlin a skinny object wrapped in a velvet cloth. When he pulled the cloth away he saw the blade he hadn't seen since his father rode away to fight the beast in the woods.

"My father's dagger?" Merlin asked, tracing the carvings on the scabbard gently.

"I have kept it safe, but it is time I gave it back to its rightful owner. Do not forget, your father had magic as well, and he did not suppress his powers. He used them for the good of his kingdom, and the kingdom prospered because of it. You are strong Merlin, just like your parents. And you can change the fate of this land."

"Thank you, Alice." Merlin said, pulling the old maid into a tight hug. He tucked the dagger into his belt before rejoining the other servants, joking happily with Gwen and her friends. He wasn't able to stay long though, as the servants had to get back to work, so Merlin trudged back up to his bedroom to think about what Alice had said.

* * *

_Somewhere in the forests surrounding the castle…_

Prince Arthur loved the woods. Here he was free from the pressures that went with being the heir to one of the largest and most wealthy kingdoms in the land. Being crown prince of Camelot did have its perks, but it was also restricting. He was quite glad Uther had allowed his month long trip to explore the surrounding kingdoms, even though he realized that one of the reasons his father had allowed it was because he was hoping Arthur would meet a foreign princess he could marry and whose kingdom could form a stronger alliance with theirs. King Uther had been thrusting eligible young women in his face since he had come of age, but he had turned each of them down. Elena and Mithian had been nice enough, but Vivian and Sophia had been absolutely dreadful. Arthur had never known people could be as vain as Vivian or as power-hungry as Sophia. That was another problem with being prince. Everyone was constantly trying to gain your favor, not because they liked you, but because they wanted the power that would come with befriending a prince. Arthur was tired of suck-ups and boot-lickers and had spent most of his month out of Camelot wandering the woods of the neighboring kingdoms, therefore avoiding most of the young princesses he could have run into.

He had just entered Avalon, the northern-most kingdom that Camelot was on friendly terms with. It was absolutely beautiful. The snow that blanketed the grounds and trees filled the woods with an almost eerie calm. It was so peaceful. That calm was sadly broken as the voice of his manservant, Ethan, disturbed the beautiful silence, saying, "I don't like these woods, Sire."

Arthur sighed, so much for peaceful. "It's just trees, Ethan. Nothing to be frightened of."

"I don't know, Sire. Haven't you heard the tales of the monster that lives in these woods?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. He seriously needed to find a servant with more of a backbone. "I am disappointed Ethan, I thought my travelling companion would be brave enough to not be frightened by children's stories."

"I'm sorry I'm not as brave and foolhardy as you, Sire, but I'd rather live as a coward than die at the hands of some beast. It probably doesn't even have hands, just giant claws. Oh god, we're going to be ripped apart!"

"Relax, Ethan. I promise I won't let any beasties harm you. Now, do you think you could be quiet for a few minutes? I was rather enjoying the silence before you opened your big mouth."

Ethan just harrumphed in response, thankfully staying silent for a minute before he said, "Did you hear that Sire?"

"It was probably just a deer, calm down man." Arthur replied, but he did tense slightly. The stories of monsters may have been fairytales, but that did not mean these woods could not be filled by some other, real threats, like bandits or bears.

"There is definitely something out there!" Ethan called his voice rising in fear.

Arthur stopped, his manservant was right. There was something running through the forest around them. He reached for his sword just as a huge man with the strangest legs leapt out of the forest behind them and flipped over their horses. Arthur pulled out his sword, gripping the reigns tightly as his horse pranced back and forth, startled by the sudden appearance of the man. He was skinny, in all black, and must have been ten feet tall. He was wearing a mask and dark helmet as well, keeping his identity hidden from the prince. Arthur couldn't help but stare at his legs. They looked like long bellows, and made strange noises each time the man took a step, as if air was being compressed from them. And, instead of ending in feet, they ended in poles. They also seemed to work almost like giant springs, adding extra bounce to each of the man's steps, allowing him to jump higher and move more quickly than normal. As Arthur studied him more closely, he realized the man was not actually a giant, it was just his legs were extremely long. The rest of him appeared to be rather small, especially compared to the strange legs.

"Give me all your gold and I will let you pass." The masked man said, reaching a very small arm forward.

Arthur laughed, before saying, "I would step aside, unless you would like a demonstration of my great skills with a sword. I do not wish to hurt you."

This caused the man in black to laugh, before he whistled and was joined by six more masked men, all with a similar appearance to the first. "Now, as I was saying," the original man said, "give us all your gold, and we will let you pass. We don't want to hurt you either."

"Maybe we should just give them the gold, sire…" Ethan whispered from behind him.

"Nonsense." Arthur said, but he had lost some of the confidence he had had when it was one on one. "I am the best knight in Camelot, I think I can handle this."

"Oh boy, men! We found the best knight in Camelot! Think we can give him a run for his money?" A different masked man said, a large grin across his face.

"I've always wanted to be a knight." Another said dreamily.

"This is no time for daydreaming, Lancelot." The first said. He seemed to be the most focused. "Mister 'best knight in Camelot', do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way?"

Arthur smiled. This was exactly why he had wanted to get out. Adventures! Seven strange men against him, this should be fun.

"What do you think?" Arthur asked with a grin, before charging forward to attack the man who had spoken first.

The man jumped over the horse, grabbing Arthur and unseating him. Arthur jumped back to his feet as quickly as possible, watching as one of the men went after his horse while another two went after the quickly retreating Ethan, leaving four to face him. Arthur had to admit, they were good fighters, and it was slightly difficult to fight them as their legs caused them to tower above them, and made it so they could move twice the distance he could in one stride. He had caught three of their swords, lifting them up into the air, before he realized he had forgotten about the fourth man and was soon disarmed knocked from his feet, landing on his back in the snow, four blades pointing at him. It wasn't long before the other two returned with a tied up Ethan, dumping him in the snow next to the prince.

The six of them gathered around Arthur and Ethan, calling out to ask if he would concede. Arthur felt anger well up in him as he lashed out with his foot, sending the man who had fist spoken falling to the ground. To the prince's amazement, it seemed the kick had knocked the man's unusually large legs off, which were currently lying in a deflated pile where the man had been standing. Arthur had been staring at the legs when Ethan nudged him, and pointed over to his left, where the de-legged man was brushing the snow of and standing up. Arthur looked the man over, and realized something.

"You're not giants at all! You're dwarfs!" Arthur shouted, looking at the tiny man in front of him. He couldn't have been more than four feet tall! Did these men really think they could beat him?

"Yeah, so?" the de-legged one asked, pointing his sword in the prince's direction. The other five surrounding Arthur began to shrink, their legs letting out a strange sound as they sunk to the ground.

"Well, you can't expect me to fight you, your miniature!"

"So, you concede!" The second one who had spoken said. From this level Arthur could see he had thick brown hair and a perfect smile.

Arthur shook his head, "No. This is too funny! You're miniscule! Diminutive! Ah.."

"Runts?" Ethan suggested.

"Runts!" Arthur agreed. Before the dwarfs had a chance to respond, the seventh jumped back, shouting, "I got their saddle bags!"

Arthur and Ethan were suddenly forgotten, as the seven men turned to rifle through their stuff.

"Hey!" Arthur shouted, getting to his feet and looking around for his sword, "You can't take that, it doesn't belong to you!"

The thieves ignored him, and continued to look through his things. Arthur was about to attack when Ethan said, "Maybe we should just let them take what they want."

"No. I think I need to teach these children a lesson." Arthur shouted, turning away from his manservant in time to see the seven dwarfs freeze, and turn slowly towards him. One on the side said, "Big mistake, buddy."

Arthur wasn't exactly sure what happened next. All he knew was that no one was ever going to find out that he had been beaten, stripped of his shirt, coat, and boots, and hung, upside-down from a tree by a bunch of dwarfs. Ethan was next to him, and was only in his undergarments, bumping against Arthur as they hung from the tree.

"No one," Arthur growled, "is ever to hear of this, understood?"

"Of course, Sire." Ethan replied with a sigh, as they swung back and forth in the snow covered woods.


	3. Chapter 2: Meeting with Destiny

**AN: Hello! Sorry this took so long...**

**The one problem with writing two stories at once is that one of them will always be more popular, making it slightly more fun to write. Unfortunately for the people reading this one, The King of Hearts is doing spectacularly (for one of my stories) making it very difficult for me to focus on this story :(**

**But, enough excuses. The one thing I feel I really should say about this chapter is I did a very bad job of describing the magic mirror. It is a bit hard to explain, so I definitely recommend trying to at least watch that scene from the movie, as it is truly beautiful. It is at about fourteen minutes in if you want to watch that but not anything else and can't find the scene. It is also in the trailers briefly, so you would have to watch pretty carefully.**

**Anyhoo, I will try to work on this story more. I really want to write more dwarf stuff. Did anyone notice that there are seven dwarfs, but only five knights? Sorry, I'm just really proud of my dwarfs. If you can guess who the other two are, I will work twice as fast ;)**

**And, I don't own Merlin or Mirror Mirror. If I did Snow would definitely be a boy. It is high time we had a kids movie with a star-crossed homosexual couple. It would be AWESOME!**

Chapter 2: Meeting with Destiny

Merlin traced the patterns on the scabbard of his father's dagger as he stared out his window and thought about what Alice had said. He knew she was right, he needed to help his people, but he didn't know where to start. He had been kept in the dark about the state of the kingdom ever since he had been declared too sick to take up the throne. From his window he could just barely see the outline of the houses in the town across the lake from the castle. It had been ages since he had been there. He wondered if the baker who had let him help knead the bread was still working, or the woodcarver who had made the beautiful carved dragon that had been his favorite toy for years, or the farmers who had let him pet their animals. He wondered if any of them remembered him, or if he had been forgotten with his parents. Lost in the memories of the past.

Well, Merlin thought, he was done with wondering. His parents had raised him to be a king, and he wasn't about to let them or his people down. He would find out what was going on, no matter what it took. Summoning all he courage, Merlin pulled a dark blue cloak out of his dresser, and, tying it around his neck, exited his room and made his way down towards one of the servant entrances. He knew the main gate would be guarded, and there was no way his step-father's men would let him get out. This was one of the times being friends with most of the serving staff really helped. He knew all the ways out of the castle, and most of them did not have guards stationed near them 24/7, so he was able to sneak out quite easily. Pulling his cloak tightly around his face, Merlin walked quickly down the path leading away from the castle and into the woods.

When Merlin was safely in the cover of the trees, he pulled off the hood of the cloak to get a better look at the forest around him. A smile spread across his face as he took in the beauty that surrounded him. He leaned his head back and took a deep breath, feeling freer than he had in years. As he continued down the path he noticed cardinals and winter wrens where fluttering along with him, whistling prettily in the background, and he was pretty sure he was being followed by a pair of white rabbits, a group of squirrels, and possibly a fox. He knew he had seen a flash of red, but he wasn't sure if it had actually been a fox or just a very low flying cardinal. He continued on, happy to be surrounded by such happy creatures. He grew slightly concerned when he noticed the animals had started disappearing. When the last of the chirruping stopped, Merlin heard a different noise. It sounded human, so he continued towards the noise, hoping that it wasn't one of his step-father's men. As he grew closer to the sound, he was able to discern that the noise was indeed a person, a person calling out for help. Grasping the dagger he rushed forwards, hoping that whoever was calling out was alright.

* * *

_Back at the Castle…_

Alined was exhausted. Threatening his stepson and avoiding the Lady Catrina's advances had really taken it out of him. When would that woman learn just how much better he was than her? Even though he knew he would never accept her proposal, he had to admit he was in a bit of a financial dilemma. If he wanted to keep on funding his lavish lifestyle he would need to find a new source of money, and soon. The people of this kingdom were not as rich as he had hoped they would be. Apparently the previous rulers had not had needs like he had, so they had not taken very much from their people, often accepting gifts instead of taxes. Most of the castle had been furnished with tacky furniture built by the local craftsmen in return for the protection the monarchy gave them. Alined had had all of that replaced as soon as he took control, filling the palace with new and beautiful accessories made by the finest craftsmen in the world. The only room he hadn't touched was the small chamber Merlin lived in. The young prince had absolutely refused to let him touch anything in his room. Alined had locked him in that room without food for two days for that little outburst, but had decided he wouldn't waste money on the ungrateful lout and had left the room the way it was.

The other big change that had been made to the castle after he moved in was in a small room that had been some type of closet in the royal chambers before. The room was dark, and the door had been made to look like another part of the wall. The only thing inside, was a large mirror. Alined entered that room now, whispering "Mirror, mirror, on the wall."

After he had spoken, he walked through the mirror, which rippled around him as if he was walking into a pool of water instead of hard glass. The familiar feeling of being submerged swept over him as he stepped onto the wooden dock waiting for him on the other side. It had taken him ages to get used to, but he was finally able to move from the position of the mirror's exit, lying flat in a serene lake, to standing on the dock without getting woozy. He paused for a moment, still completely dry even though he had just emerged from the water. He took a deep breath before walking forward, and into the first of the strange buildings at the end of the dock. They were both made of sticks, making them appear as large bird's nests more than houses. They were also both rounded, although the one in the back was almost flat and much taller than the one in front.

The walls of the first building were covered in mirrors, each offering a perfect reflection of him except the one in the back, which showed a slightly younger version of himself wearing all white and with strange, black eyes. He strode towards the strange mirror, yelling, "How dare the Lady Catrina. To think that she believes herself to be worthy of me."

"Interesting." The mirror-version of himself replied, tilting its head slightly.

"What?" Alined growled, pacing slightly inside the small building.

"Your response to her advances. You are getting old, and you will need money if you wish to keep living like you have been the last decade. Consider your options."

"Well this option has grey hair and smells awful. Can't you just magic-me up a chest of gold?"

"Everyone has some magic in them," the mirror replied enigmatically, "but very few discover it and learn to use it wisely. Of those few even less have to power to actually use it for the good of others, instead of selfishly wasting it on themselves. Trust me; I am, after all, merely a reflection of yourself, except I still have all my hair."

"You're going to be nothing but a pile of shards if you keep on talking like that." Alined threatened, running his hand through his thinning hair.

The mirror chuckled before saying, "Threaten all you like, you need me too much to harm me. If it wasn't for me you never would have gotten you position. You wouldn't have been able to get rid of the old king and marry his wife. And you certainly wouldn't have been able to suppress young Merlin's magic. He is strong, and one day you won't be able to stop him from taking what is rightfully his. My advice to you is to find someone rich and use them to maintain your power, before you turn so disgusting no one will lay eyes on you."

Alined growled and turned, walking back up the dock and through the mirror once more. He had been tempted to throw his shoe at the mirror, but he knew it had been right. He needed its powers to maintain control. And he would use them, no matter who he had to hurt if it would get him what he wanted.

* * *

Arthur was really sick of hanging from the tree. The only thing he was sicker of was the sound of Ethan's voice.

"Help!" Ethan shouted, for what felt like the millionth time.

"Would you please shut up?" Arthur replied repressing a shiver as a cold wind blew across his exposed chest.

"If I shut up no one will know we're here, Sire, so unless you have a better idea, I'm going to keep shouting. HELP!" Ethan's voice rang out. Arthur was beginning to think that the sound of Ethan's voice might actually be driving people away.

"You do realize your mouth is right next to my ear, don't you? I swear, when we get back to Camelot, I'm going to have you locked in the stocks for a week, or however long it takes for me to regain my hearing." Arthur grumbled.

"When someone comes because they heard me shouting, I will expect an apology. HELP!" Ethan said. "I could have been the carpenter's apprentice, but no. I just had to apply to be the prince's bloody manservant. HELP! I should have realized something was off when the last one looked like he would never be able to walk again. HELP!"

"What are you talking about? Rodger was perfectly fine when he left my services. He just got in a little argument with a bear, which was not my fault, seeing as he thought it would be a great idea to run off by himself after I expressly told him to remain by my side during the battle with the wyvern. Have you even stopped to consider that you might not be leading help to us by shouting? There could be other bandits in these woods"

Before Ethan could reply, Arthur heard a noise from the direction they had been heading. He shushed Ethan, and listened as carefully as possible as the noise got closer and closer. He twitched his body so that the ropes turned, letting him face the direction the that the noise was coming from just as a boy stumbled out from behind the trees, his long cloak trailing in the snow behind him. The boy looked to be about the same age as Arthur, but had dark hair and was quite skinny. Arthur cleared his throat and attempted to muster his most princely voice and said, "Hello young man, it would seem we are in need of your assistance, if you could cut us down it would be greatly appreciated."

Unfortunately, while Arthur was speaking, Ethan had also noticed the presence of the stranger and had said, in a much louder and pathetic voice, "Please, please, please help us. I'll do anything if you cut us down."

The boy didn't respond, instead panting and staring at them as if they were the strangest thing he had ever seen. Arthur used his limited mobility to thump Ethan in the back, getting him to quiet momentarily so he could say, "Are you stupid, I said cut us down!"

That seemed to get his attention, as he focused on Arthur and said, "Only if you say please."

Arthur glared at the boy and tried to block out Ethan's pleading both to him and the boy. The boy did not seem to be threatened by his glare, and merely raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. Arthur was pretty sure Ethan was about to go hoarse when he finally said, "Fine. Would you _please_ cut us down?"

The boy smiled, pulled out a dagger, and said, "Of course, you big prat, all you had to do was ask." He then proceeded to walk over to where the rope was tied to the tree, and raised the blade high. Arthur began to try to order the boy to stop, but it was too late and the blade was brought through the rope, causing him and Ethan to collapse painfully in a pile.

"Oh! Sorry about that!" the boy called, rushing to help them up. "Is there anything I can do to h-"

Both Arthur and the boy froze once Arthur had gotten to his feet and was standing quite close to the dark-haired boy who had cut them down. There was something about this boy, he couldn't quite put his finger on it. But, now that they were both upright and facing each other, Arthur couldn't deny the fact that he was beautiful, in an ethereal sort of way. His skin was pale, almost the same color as the snow that surrounded him, and looked to be quite soft as well. His hair was pitch black, and reflected the sunlight so it appeared to be shining. And his eyes, oh his eyes. They were large and blue, but such a blue Arthur had never seen before. The closest he could think of was the time his father had taken him to the southern ocean, and the sun had been sparkling on the deep blue water, but even that was not enough to describe the blue orbs before him. His lips were full and pink, and Arthur couldn't help but imagine how they would feel pressed against his. The boy reached out a thin arm, brushing away a bit of snow that had stuck in Arthur's hair, and Arthur couldn't stop himself from leaning instinctively towards the long, elegant fingers. Unfortunately, Ethan was there to ruin the perfect moment as always, as he jutted in, extending his backside between them so the boy could cut away the ropes that tied his arms behind his back. The boy jumped back from the prince, and quickly moved to help Ethan free himself. Arthur smiled when he saw the boy's cheeks had blushed a pretty pink color and he looked as if he was quite flustered. Arthur was used to people being slightly flustered when around him, he was the prince, but he had never felt so completely tongue-tied when it had happened.

Once Ethan was freed the boy turned to cut off the ropes keeping Arthur's hands behind his back and asked, "What happened to you two?"

"We were attacked by seven dw-" Ethan began before Arthur pulled his hands free and elbowed him in the stomach, turned to the boy and finished the story, saying, "Seven bloodthirsty giants. I fought bravely, nearly had them at one point, but they cheated. Ethan here had run, of course, but they caught him quickly and brought him back. Once I was subdued they took our money, our food, and most of our clothes before tying us in this tree."

"Oh." The boy said, looking alarmed, although slightly skeptical, "That sounds awful. Well, I should be going, if you are both alright." The boy said. He appeared to be trying to look anywhere but Arthur's bare chest but was failing as his gaze kept flicking back down. Arthur shook his head quickly to regain his composure before saying, "Yes, we should as well. We are heading north."

A frown spread across the boys face as he said, "Oh, I'm heading south."

Arthur was about ready to change his plans and head back south just so he could spend more time with the strange, beautiful, boy when Ethan butt in saying, "Well, that really is too bad, but thank you so much for helping us. We really must be on our way."

"Of course. Goodbye." The boy said, before turning and heading down the way they had come. When Arthur didn't move, Ethan grabbed his arm and started pulling him back towards the road whispering, "There's a castle not far from here. We should go there and possibly get some proper clothes, your highness."

"I suppose you are right." Arthur said, still watching the boy continue away from them. He was about to turn away when the boy glanced back at him, a blush spreading across his cheeks once more as he was caught watching Arthur. He turned quickly, pulling the hood of his cloak back up over his head and walking slightly more quickly.

"He looked back!" Arthur whispered. "Did you see that, Ethan, he looked back!"

"Of course he did, Sire." Ethan grumbled. "Now, could you please move? I would really like to get out of this cold."

Arthur couldn't stop smiling as he followed Ethan back down the path towards the castle.


	4. Chapter 3: Balls and Banishment

**AN: Hello! I'm back! Yay!**

**Anyhoo, few things I need to say first. I have officially decided that in this universe being homosexual, bisexual, transgender, or whatever else is totally acceptable. I needed this to happen so our favorite boys could dance together without it seeming too unusual. I hope this makes sense. **

**And, I need to congratulate Hurr Hurr for guessing one of my two mystery dwarfs! Will will be one of them, the other is still unknown...**

**Unless you are me, or the friend who I told because I really needed to tell someone. Small clue, this "dwarf" is replacing a dwarf called Wolf, who is slightly more animal-y than the other dwarfs. My friend did approve, but this is also one of our favorite characters, in a strange way. So we might be slightly biased.**

**Finally, before I get to my disclaimer stuff, I have to say I really liked these parts of the movie, so a lot of the dialogue is pretty much straight from Mirror Mirror. If it seems OOC that might be why. And, I am about thirty minutes into the movie, which is like a third of the way-ish. In case you were curious about how long this fic will be.**

**Still don't own Merlin or Mirror Mirror. I just appreciate them.**

Chapter Three: Balls and Banishment

Merlin didn't really know what he had expected to find when he rushed towards the cries for help. He certainly hadn't been expecting to find two partially naked men suspended upside-down from a tree.

Upon talking to the two men, he had learned that the more naked of the two was a complete prat. This might explain why he was missing more of his clothes than his compatriot, who just seemed desperate to get down. Merlin had sliced through the rope without really thinking about what would happen after, causing the men to land on the ground with a rather painful thump. When he rushed back to make sure they were unharmed, he was struck dumb. The prat had already managed to right himself, and standing upright he was much more handsome than he had been tied up. It definitely didn't help that his toned pecks were exposed and kept on drawing Merlin's eyes. He was perfect. His golden hair, his blue eyes, his lips flushed from the cold. Merlin had had very little experience with romance, seeing as he had been kept in the castle for most of his teenage life. He had shared an awkward kiss with Gwen at one point, but she had been too soft and curvy, and all together wrong. They had deemed the kiss a complete failure, and had continued on as best friends, trying to deny it had ever happened. Merlin had found himself watching the knights training more and more, and had started to wonder if one of the reasons the kiss with Gwen had felt so wrong was because he wasn't attracted to girls at all. He had wished his mother was still alive, so he could ask her what this meant, but sadly she was gone, and he was alone. But, standing in the woods with this partially-clad god of a man enforced his belief that he was completely and irreversibly attracted to men.

He had been brought back to earth when the man's skinny, sad-looking companion jutted between them, asking for help with the ropes that still bound his hands. Merlin had quickly helped him before cutting the ropes on the blond man. He needed to stay focused, he was out here to learn of the plight of the villagers, not be distracted by strong, handsome, men who just happened to be watching his every move.

After making his excuses, he hurried back down the path, only turning back once to see the blonde man watching him go. He felt his checks flush red once more, and pulled his cloak tighter around him, hoping the blonde man hadn't noticed as well.

It wasn't until he had put quite a bit of distance between himself and the other man that he realized he hadn't even learned the other's name. He brought his hand to his forehead, trying to keep himself from thinking about the stranger for more than a minute. He would probably never see him again; he should focus on what he really needed to be doing right now, helping his people.

It wasn't long before Merlin reached the small town his parents had taken him to so often as a child. It was almost completely unrecognizable. No one was singing or dancing like they used to. The streets were filled with the sounds of weeping infants and the coughing of their older siblings as they sat in the streets waiting for someone better off than they were to pass by. He couldn't match this town with the one from his memories. That town had been filled with the sound of children laughing. The streets had been filled with the smell of fresh breads and meats, not the smoky stench that hung here. And the houses had all looked comfortable and sturdy. Now half of them looked like they were about to collapse, and many appeared to be empty.

As Merlin wandered towards the center of town, a small girl with dirty blonde hair walked up to him and asked, "Excuse me, sir, do you have any food?"

Merlin wished he could say yes. He wished he had brought something from the castle, but sadly he hadn't really been thinking when he left, so all he had was his clothing. "I'm sorry, I don't." Merlin replied, barely keeping the tears from sliding down his face. What had his stepfather done?

* * *

Alined had just returned to his chambers when his servant, Trickler, burst into the room.

"Leave me, Trickler." Alined growled. The only reason he hadn't thrown Trickler out himself was that he felt rather lazy. Where were the guards when he needed them?

"I'm sorry, your majesty, but it is rather urgent. A Prince Arthur of Camelot just arrived and he requested an audience with you." Trickler mumbled out, keeping his eyes to the ground.

"Well, tell him I will speak with him later. I wish to be left alone."

"Umm," Trickler said, still not leaving, "I thought you should know he is, how do I put this, slightly unclothed."

Alined tipped his head in consideration. Ever since he was young, he had been able to find pleasure in both the bodies of women and of men. Few knew about his bisexual nature, Trickler being one of those few. If his servant had brought this news to him for that purpose, this prince might be worth seeing.

"I will see him. Come along, Trickler." Alined said, standing and moving out of his chambers, Trickler scurrying behind him. Instead of walking to the entryway where the semi-nude prince was undoubtedly waiting, Alined walked to the throne room, sitting on the decadent chair and spreading his cloak out elegantly around him while Trickler ran off to usher the guest in. Alined tapped an impatient rhythm on the armrest of the throne while he waited to meet this new prince.

He didn't have to wait long though, as the doors swung open and a scrawny boy in only his underclothes entered and said, "Announcing his majesty, the crown prince of Camelot, Prince Arthur Pendragon!"

Behind him, a blond boy wearing only a white pair of undergarments that stopped at his middle stood tall, in a sad attempt to maintain his dignity. Alined couldn't help but stare at the exposed chest of the young prince. His muscles bulged from his arms and torso, rippling gracefully as he moved. Alined wondered what it would feel like to have the boy writhing beneath him, aching for his touch. If he could subdue such power, oh, it would be stunning. But, he shook himself from these thoughts as the beautiful young man began to speak.

"Your highness, I am sorry about the state of our dress. We were attacked by bandits on our way to your lovely palace."

"Bandits?" Alined replied, still staring at the glistening chest instead of the face of the prince he was speaking to, "How awful. How terrifying and dreadful and smooth and hairy…" Alined had begun to drift off again, thinking of rubbing his hands up and down the glistening pecks, carding his fingers through the shining hair.

"What?" The prince said, although Alined didn't really hear him. He had become fixated on the rosy lips of the man speaking.

"What?" said the prince's servant, this too going unnoticed by the king. But Trickler's "What?" did snap Alined from his daydreams and he shot up, adding his "What?" to the chain.

"Nothing." Trickler responded quietly.

Prince Arthur coughed softly and said, "Do you think I could borrow a covering? I must admit I am not used to being so (cough) undressed in public."

Alined's mind had chosen this moment to imagine the sounds the young prince would make in the throes of pleasure, so when he turned to his servant, he couldn't remember his name. He knew he knew the name, but all he could think of now was the young prince before him, gasping and groaning from what he would do to him.

"Uh.." Alined said, gesturing to his servant who regarded him with a puzzled gaze before whispering, "Trickler, sire."

"Trickler. Prince Arthur is bashful, and, sadly, requires a covering. Go get him one."

"Of course, sire." Trickler said, then turning to the prince, "What could of tunic would you like?"

Before Prince Arthur could answer, Alined said "A simple covering will do, Trickler."

"Of course, your majesty." Trickler replied before running off. Alined hoped he would know to bring this young prince the least covering cover he could find.

"So, Arthur," Alined said, "You said you were from Camelot? I've never heard of it, is it a wee hamlet?"

"No, your majesty, quite the contrary, it is a strong kingdom. My family has ruled over it for centuries, ensuring its wealth and prosperity. We have many natural resources, gold silver, and even a bustling silk trade." Prince Arthur replied. He sounded very proud of his kingdom and heritage. Almost as if he had rehearsed this speech many times before. As he spoke Alined couldn't help but plan. If he could use this gorgeous boy's position to gain the wealth he needed, he could keep living the way he had been the past few years. All he would need was for that stupid mirror to make him some type of love potion, and he could have the boy wrapped around his finger. He would have to make a show of it, of course, which would mean bigger parties than usual. He stood gracefully, and turning to the prince said, "Trickler will be back soon with your covering. He will send a servant who will show you to rooms you can stay in whilst you are hear. I must take my leave of you now, to prepare for this evening. A ball will be thrown in your honor tonight, Prince Arthur of Camelot."

"Thank you," The prince sad with a slightly surprised tone, "but you really needn't go to all the trouble. I can pay for my food and bed, and I will be off as soon as my manservant returns with more supplies from home."

"It is no trouble." Alined said, "Trust me, it would be my pleasure." With that he exited. He needed to speak to Trickler now if his plan was to work.

After informing a passing servant of his need, Alined returned to his room to wait for his servant. It wasn't long before Trickler entered, looking slightly nervous as always.

"What else do you require, your majesty?" he said, with a weary tone.

"I wish to throw a ball. You need to inform the servants. We need to sweep this boy off his feet."

"I don't understand." Trickler responded, looking genuinely confused.

"What don't you understand? I'm going to get this Prince Arthur to worship me, and then I will have the power and wealth of Camelot at my fingertips and my money issues shall be solved." Alined replied, backing Trickler into a corner.

"No, I get that part. What I don't understand is where you will get the money to throw this ball."

"The village. They have been holding out on me, and I know it. Go down there Trickler, and collect more taxes. Tell them whatever you think of. Bread is meat, less is more, blah blah blah, commoners love a good metaphor. Just bring me the money!"

"Yes, your highness." Trickler said with a bow, rushing out of the rooms.

Alined smirked and settled back on his bed, dreaming of how wonderful things would be once his plan was complete.

* * *

Merlin had decided it was time for him to act. He wasn't sure what he could do from his current position, but he also knew that these were his people, and they were suffering because he let some sad excuse for a king stomp all over him and take his rightful place on the throne. If he didn't act soon, all that his parents worked for would be in vain.

He spent his time in the village giving every non-essential part of his outfit out to the beggars on the street. He knew it wasn't much, but he hoped that maybe one of his rings could pay for food for at least a couple nights for one of the families. He had given his overcoat to a small shivering girl and was about to hand his cloak over to a mother with three small children when he noticed a familiar carriage approaching. He apologized, promised he would be back, and rushed behind a building, where he could watch what was happening without being seen by whoever was in the royal carriage that had just arrived in the town square. When the doors opened, Merlin saw Trickler, his stepfather's personal servant, step forward, a piece of parchment in his hand. Merlin ducked, pulling the cloak around his face when Trickler glanced his way, but it seemed he had gone unnoticed as the servant continued on, climbing the steps that lead to the raised notice board. He picked up the hammer that was secured to the board and a nail from one of his large pockets, and began hammering the parchment into the board. While he was working, the town's mayor read over his shoulder and a look of horror crossed his face as he said, "More taxes? The people can barely survive, we have nothing left! How do you expect me to collect more taxes?"

"I don't know, that's your job, not mine." Trickler responded, before turning to walk back to the carriage.

"What is he doing with all our money?" One of the villagers who had gathered around the notice board shouted out.

"Protecting you." Trickler said with gusto. "There are dangers lurking in the woods."

"You mean…" a woman from the crowd began, but seemed too scared to continue.

"Yes, the beast." Merlin frowned, hadn't his father defeated the beast years ago? He had thought both had disappeared on that fateful night. He pulled himself from his thoughts as Trickler continued speaking. "But King Alined has protected you. You are safe because your tax dollars are hard at work. Alined only wants to ensure your safety. Pay your taxes and you will be protected from the horrors that lurk in the forest."

With that statement, Trickler did leave, pushing his way back through the crowds to the waiting carriage. Something was wrong, Merlin thought, as he quickly found the young mother once more and handed her his cloak before rushing off back to the palace.

When he reached the huge castle he rushed in through one of the unguarded servant's entrances and quickly went to the kitchens, where Alice and Gwen where both hard at work with quite a few other maids and servants, preparing for what looked to be a huge feast.

"You were right, Alice. I have to do something to stop Alined!" Merlin cried.

"You went down to the village, then?" The old woman asked, pulling Merlin into a hug.

"Yes. It was terrible. The people are starving in the streets but Alined just keeps on raising the taxes. I have to fix this, but what can I do?"

"A prince arrived today, it is said he is from a rich kingdom with a strong army."

"Well, maybe he could help us." Merlin said, his voice regaining a little strength. "If I could talk to him, get him to see sense, he could help me overthrow Alined!"

"That's my boy!" Alice said, squeezing Merlin's shoulder. "The king is throwing a ball for the prince tonight, if you could sneak in you might be able to speak with him."

"I will! Thank you Alice!" Merlin said, moving to leave the kitchens.

"Good luck, Prince Merlin. We all believe in you." Alice said, going back to working on the huge pastries she had been working on for the party.

Merlin snuck back to his room. He would need to get an outfit ready if he wanted to crash this party.

* * *

Merlin waited until he was certain the party had already started before creeping down the stairs and sneaking into the filled ballroom. Gwen had come to his room earlier, informed him it was a costume ball, and had helped him finish his outfit. She had decided that he would be dressed as a dragon. He had suggested that maybe he should go for smoothing a bit less noticeable, like a mouse or sparrow, but she had been insistent. He was wearing one of his fancy blue dress shirts. It was a dark blue, and Gwen said it brought out his eyes. The buttons and trimming were bright gold, twisting around the curves of the coat like the trails left by shooting stars. Gwen had fixed two wings to his back, which were a darker blue than the rest of his outfit, and made it slightly difficult to navigate the stairs. The final step had been the dragon head and neck that she secured in his dark hair. Apparently she had found it in some of his father's things that had been locked away by Alined. Merlin felt like he looked silly, but Gwen had assured him he looked absolutely splendid. Trying not to worry too much about his outfit, he kept his head down and entered the ballroom, trying to avoid anyone who might recognize him.

As he scanned the room, he couldn't believe how many strange costumes filled the hall. There were courtiers dressed as birds, insects, mythical creatures, and farm animals. He spotted his stepfather briefly, who was dressed as a lion and talking to someone in a black suit with what looked like bunny ears. Trickler was in a corner, watching the party and dressed as a cockroach. If he wanted to stay undetected he would have to be careful to keep an eye on those two, and make certain he stayed as far away from them as possible.

Merlin was about to ask one of the nobles who visited less regularly if they knew where this foreign prince was when the music got suddenly louder and he found himself pushed towards the dance floor. Merlin had never been a very good dancer, and seeing as it had been ten years since he had even attempted to dance he probably had gotten worse. Still, he might be able to learn something if he joined in, so he took up a position and waited for the music to start again.

Although Merlin hadn't realized it, Alined had also taken up a position on the dance floor, standing back to back with Arthur so he could use this dance to learn more about the young prince who had kept pretty quite since his manservant had left to get more supplies. Unfortunately for Alined, Lady Catrina pushed the prince aside without his knowledge, forcing Arthur to find a new position in the dance.

Merlin stood with his back to his partner, trying to think of what he could say to learn more about this prince, and, more importantly, what he could say when he actually found the prince. He took a deep breath when the music started, and turned to face his first partner.

Merlin was quite proud of himself for not completely falling when he saw who was behind him. The blond man from the woods had a similar look of shock on his face when he found out who his dancing partner was. He apparently had been the man Merlin had seen talking with his stepfather earlier, and was wearing a tight black suit trimmed in red, and a large top had complete with rabbit ears. He may have handled it a little better, and continued on with the dance as if nothing strange was happening, and said, "It's you! What are you doing here?"

"I live here." Merlin responded, "What are you doing here?" Merlin followed the blonde's lead, somehow managing to keep up with the dance and the conversation.

"You live here?"

"Yes, I'm kind of the prince. Prince Merlin, by the way, I never did get your name."

"Prince Arthur of Camelot, at your service." The blond said, sweeping into a low bow, as the dance required.

"You're the prince?" Merlin said, his eyes growing large as he spun, briefly turning his face away from the blonde man.

"Yes, I suppose I am." Prince Arthur said, then coughed slightly and continued, "I'm sorry, but seeing you in this coat, it has caused me to lose my words."

"Well, at least it hasn't caused you to lose your pants." Merlin said without thinking. "I'm sorry." he quickly said, squeezing his eyes shut in embarrassment, "It's just when I first saw you, you weren't wearing any pants."

When Merlin turned he noticed that the prince was now blushing quite a lot, which made him feel slightly better. At least he wasn't the only one feeling a little overwhelmed. Seeing as the prince wasn't going to deem that comment with a response, Merlin tried to redeem himself once more, "At least now you're dressed up, like a bunny."

"Apparently it's a rabbit." Prince Arthur said, sounding slightly exasperated. "The king said it represented something about cunning and trickery. I look ridiculous."

"Yes a little bit." Merlin responded with a quiet laugh. "But then again we all do. Have you ever seen so many nobles dressed as sheep?"

"No, I can't say I have." The prince responded with a chuckle. "You look absolutely perfect though."

Merlin blushed and looked down, causing his dragon head to brush against Prince Arthur's rabbit ears. When he straightened up he looked around and said, "Aren't we suppose to be changing partners?"

"Yes, I do believe we are." The prince responded with a smile that caused Merlin's heart to start beating even faster. No, he couldn't think about his failed love life right now, he had to focus on his people. That was the point after all. Merlin turned slightly to find Alined. He was still in a far corner, but seemed angrier than he had been when Merlin had seen him at the beginning of the ball. When his eyes moved back to the corner Trickler had been in, the servant was gone. That decided it, it was now or never.

"I actually came to this party to find you. Well, find the foreign prince." Merlin said, trying to keep his voice down.

"Oh?" Prince Arthur said, looking slightly confused.

"Yes. I need your help."

"Anything."

"My stepfather, King Alined, has taxed the people into starvation. He is ruining the land. I need to take back my kingdom, but I can't do it alone. I…" Merlin trailed off, he was almost certain he had seen Trickler moving towards him. "I have to go."

"Wait!" Arthur called as Merlin dashed off through the dancers, heading to the hallway behind the ballroom. He didn't stop till he could just barely hear the music. Merlin paused for a second to catch his breath, and a hand wrapped around his arm, pulling him up to the chambers above the dance floor. When he got there, Alined was already waiting, looking out over the party before drawing the curtains closed to separate them from the dancers below.

"You sneaky little brat. What were you doing talking to my prince?" Alined growled. Trickler had moved to his side allowing two guards to take his place restraining Merlin.

"Your prince?" Merlin responded.

"And where did you get such a costume? Are you stealing my money?"

"Do you want to talk about my costume or the way you treat the villagers?" Merlin asked with as much bravery he could muster.

"Oh, very good, Merlin. Say it again." Alined growled, moving forward to grab Merlin's face, and keep him from turning his gaze away. Merlin tried to pull away, but couldn't so he was forced to endure Alined's terrible breath, but remained silent. "Oh, come on. Alright, Trickler, you say it."

"Me, Sire?" Trickler responded, looking rather confused.

"Yes you! Now, hurry up and say it!"

"Do you want to talk about my costume or what you did to the village?" Trickler muttered, keeping his eyes down.

"Not annoying enough." Alined growled, a terrifying look of pleasure on his face. "Try again, but more irritating. More infuriating."

Trickler coughed before doing his best to mimic Merlin's voice as he began to quote Merlin again.

"Never mind." Alined interrupted. "You're both annoying."

Merlin was tired of this ridiculousness so he yanked his head back and said, "I've been there. I've seen what you've done. And it has to stop."

"You left the castle grounds?" Alined replied, stepping back to glare at Merlin from a distance. "My my my, Merlin, breaking all the rules today. That's a punishable offense, you know."

"By who's law?" Merlin shouted, struggling against his guards. "You have no right to rule the way you do! And, now that I am twenty-one, you have no claim to the throne. I am the rightful ruler of this kingdom."

Trickler gasped, and Alined looked absolutely lived as he turned slowly and said, "Probably not the best thing you could have said right then." Alined then grabbed some rope from one of the chests in the room and moved behind the guards. Merlin tried to struggle, but he could feel his strength draining as the bracelets pulled at his powers. Alined bound his hands tightly, yanking on the ropes so the chafed against his wrists. When he was finished he dismissed the guards and, keeping a hold of Merlin's arm said, "Trickler, I want you to take _Prince _Merlin out to the woods. See that he is killed by the beast."

Merlin tensed beneath his arm. Had his plans failed before they had begun? What would Prince Arthur think when he disappeared? Merlin's mind was churning as he was pulled out of the castle by an alarmed Trickler. The woods were much less lovely when you were facing your imminent death. The winds howled through the trees and the stars were hidden beneath a thick layer of clouds. Merlin was forced to walk forward, Trickler's blade pushing him on. Just as he was starting to shiver from the cold, Tricker turned him around and said, "Merlin, I am sorry. Your mother was a good woman, and a good queen. I will not see her only son murdered." He then took the blade and began slicing through the ropes that held Merlin's arms. "So, I am going to give you one last piece of advice. Run!"

As Trickler finished speaking the ropes fell from Merlin's arms. He watched as Trickler turned from him and sprinted back to the castle. He whipped back around when he heard a growl. There was something else out in these woods. Did the beast really still roam the forest? Merlin felt his breath hitch. He didn't want to die like his father, so he followed Trickler's advice, and ran. But, instead of heading back to the castle, Merlin ran through the woods, hoping the beast would not follow him. He was scared, cold, and he had no idea what to do. He just continued sprinting till he ran into a branch extending out from the path. The branch knocked him over, and just before he passed out, he saw a strange-looking figure holding up a sign that read, "No entry over four feet."

After that, all was darkness.


	5. Chapter 4: A Way to Fight Back

**AN: Hello! I am now only working on this story, so hopefully updates will be faster! Yay!**

**And I am about half way-ish through the movie... if anyone is curious...**

**But, dwarf chapter! Yay! I had a lot of fun with them. And you all get to learn who the seventh dwarf is! I have to admit, it is quite strange. I'm sorry. I just got this idea and I kind of fell in love with it. Hopefully you won't mind (plus I needed someone to teach Merlin magic, and I though this could be super fun). Anyhoo, I will talk a bit more about him at the bottom, because I feel I need to explain myself slightly better...**

**And also, I really hope I don't offend anyone with my dwarfs. They are meant to be slightly silly, so they are. I hope I'm not too un-politically correct. It is a fairy tale though, if that makes it better. Or worse. I don't know.**

**In other news, Hurr Hurr submitted another very awesome review, with a question. They wanted to know how old Alined is, as he has been creeping on Arthur quite a bit. He is old. Well, probably about the same age as Merlin ahnbnd Arthur's parents. Him marrying Merlin's mum was normal. Him being with Arthur would be strange. But, that is kind of the point as he is evil. And also, thank you so much for the review Hurr Hurr! I'm glad you're going to watch the movie when this is done. It is really visually stunning in parts, and quite funny. I hope my story doesn't ruin the movie for you too much!**

**And, I don't own either Merlin or Mirror Mirror. Yeah, I don't have anything fun to say this time. Sorry.**

Chapter Four: A Way to Fight Backj

Trickler ran.

He was terrified. If the king believed there was a beast capable of killing humans in the forest, than there probably was. He was, sadly, not in very good shape, and soon tired, but continued running anyways until he reached the safety of the castle. It wasn't until he entered the castle that he realized he might have just run into the domain of an even more dangerous beast.

Trickler scurried around. King Alined would want proof that Merlin was dead. His brain was working as fast as it could (which, just like his running, was not very fast), and he came up with a plan. He snuck down to the kitchens, before heading back up to the King's chambers where he could already here Alined shouting for him. The guards must have been instructed to inform the king the moment he returned. Trickler silently cursed the efficiency of the guards as he filled a bag with assorted meat products before heading up to see Alined.

"Is the deed done?" Alined asked the second Trickler entered.

"Yes. Merlin is dead. I brought you his heart, liver, kidney, spleen…" Trickler listed, mixing the meat products around in the bag. Luckily King Alined had his back turned when Trickler accidently pulled up a chain of sausage links, and he was able to stuff the links back in before the king noticed something was wrong.

"That's disgusting." Alined said, "We will need to inform the people of this… tragedy. In the morning, though, I am tired. Tell them the same old story, cut down in his prime, terrible loss, blah blah blah, we'll fly the flags at half mast."

"Flags around the kingdom, or just in the castle, you majesty?" Trickler asked, trying not to betray his nervousness with his voice.

"Oh, that's too complicated, never mind." Alined said with a smirk. "Now, leave me Trickler, and see to it his parts are burned."

"Yes, sire." Trickler said, and scurried out of the room, thankful that his head was still on his neck.

* * *

Gwen really didn't want to wake up. All of the serving maids had been up late cleaning after the party, so she was exhausted. But, she had a job to do, so she pulled herself from bed and made her way down to the kitchens to help prepare breakfast for the nobles. She had been almost finished, when the kitchen staff was interrupted by the King's personal servant, Trickler, and King Alined himself. Gwen was shocked. She was pretty sure she had never seen the king down in the kitchens before. Something serious must have happened for him to be visiting them. She quickly joined the other maids, taking her place next to Alice, while Trickler began speaking.

"Last night, a terrible tragedy occurred. Prince Merlin was killed by the beast in the forest." There was a collective gasp from the maids. Gwen had to catch Alice when she almost fainted. She could feel tears streaming down her checks. Merlin had been her best friend. He probably spent more time down in the kitchens than in his own chambers, just because he liked to help them when Alined made ridiculous demands. As the maids got over their shock, Trickler continued.

"One of god's great mysteries is his plan for each and every one of us."

Gwen wasn't certain, but she was pretty sure she heard the king mumbled "speed it up" before Trickler continued saying, "Merlin lived, he died, god rest his soul. There'll be a buffet lunch served at two."

With that both the King and his servant rushed out of the kitchens, leaving the cooks and maids to grieve for their lost friend.

* * *

Merlin wasn't dead.

He was very much not dead, as the pounding in his head was telling him. As his eyes fluttered open, he realized he was in a strange house. He tried to remember how he had gotten there, but all he could remember was being brought into the forest by Trickler, running through the darkness, then nothing. He turned his head slightly, and saw a small man smiling at him. The man had wavy brown hair, and his white teeth were shining even in the dull light that seemed to be coming from a fire pit across the hut from him. Merlin smiled back nervously, before turning his head to see two more small men on his other side. One of these two had black hair, much longer than Merlin's, but shorter than the brown haired man's. The other had dirty blond hair and a slightly scruffy beard to match. These two were not smiling at him like the other, but regarding him carefully. Merlin couldn't help but notice they were all incredibly handsome, even though they were all at least two feet shorter than he was. He brought a hand up to his head, and asked "Where am I?"

Before anyone could answer his question, something swooped over his head. Merlin pulled himself up into a sitting position to get a better view of the flying creature. What he saw struck him dumb.

A small man who looked to be about his age, maybe a bit younger, with bright white hair and incredible blue eyes was flying with the wings from his costume! Merlin felt his jaw drop as the flying man said, "These wings are the best! Do you guys think I would make a good dragon?"

"Stop mucking about, Aithusa." Scruffy-beard said, "Our guest is awake."

Suddenly Merlin was surrounded by five small men. The flying man had landed in some type of loft along with probably the least handsome of the bunch, who also looked younger than the men surrounding Merlin. He had short brown hair, and a slightly upset expression. The two new additions to his bedside had both had short hair and bulging muscles. One was dark-skinned, and looked quite happy, while the other looked slightly more stoic, and was currently chewing on a large piece of bread.

"Who are you all?" Merlin asked, as it didn't seem his first question was going to be answered anytime soon.

"We'll be asking the questions," Scruffy-beard said, "Who are you?"

"I'm Merlin." Merlin said, watching the expressions of the men around him change to surprise and confusion.

"You mean like the shut in prince who's too weak to leave his fancy castle?" Upset-brown-hair asked, causing some murmuring among the group. Merlin cringed a little when he said this. He knew he had failed his people, but it was still hard to hear it from them.

"No, he has to be some other Merlin." Bread-eater said. Merlin really needed to learn their names soon. His nicknames were slightly ridiculous. "Merlin is a pretty common name, right?"

Merlin cleared his throat to get their attention as they had begun arguing again. "I am Prince Merlin, son of King Balinor and Queen Hunith."

"No way." Wavy-black-hair said.

"I believe him!" Aithusa called down (at least he knew one name). Merlin smiled at the white-haired man, who chose this moment to swoop down and join the group gathered around Merlin's bed. "He has magic."

Merlin reflexively grabbed the bracelets surrounding his wrist when his magic was mentioned. He winced slightly as the pressure he applied caused the bands to scrape against the blisters and raw skin underneath them.

"If he is a prince, maybe we should keep him, get a ransom." Upset-brown-hair said. Merlin was starting to not like this guy.

"No!" Smiling-brown-hair called out. "I like him. I think we should be nice to him." Smiling-brown-hair then pulled Merlin's hand from his head and kissed it gently, before grinning and saying, "I'll be your knight in shining armor any day, my prince."

"Umm.." Merlin said, trying to figure out what to say to the strange reactions of the seven dwarfs who surrounded him. "Ransoming me won't work. The king kind of wants me dead."

"Why would the king want you dead?" Smiling-brown-hair asked, a look of concern on his face.

"Because he is wicked, and wants to keep the throne to himself." Merlin replied. "I was a threat to his power, so he got rid of me. Or, at least he tried to. Can you tell me where I am?"

"You are in our home." Scruffy-beard said. "We found you unconscious outside, and didn't think you deserved to be dinner for some animal, so we brought you in here."

Merlin nodded. "Do you think you could let me stay for just one more night? I have nowhere else to go, and I don't know what to do."

"I say we let him stay." Smiling-brown-hair said quickly, standing up to emphasize his point.

"Well I say he will bring nothing but trouble, so he should leave." Upset-brown hair said. "If the king wants him dead, there'll be guards out after him, and that's the last thing we need."

"Oh come on, Will." Aithusa said. "He's just asking for one night."

So upset-brown-hair's name was Will. Merlin put on his best puppy-dog face and focused its powers on Will, hoping it would do the trick. After a moment, it worked, and Will said "Fine. But if the guards come, I'm not protecting him."

"Don't worry, fair prince." Smiling-brown-hair said, "I will protect you." He then offered Merlin a bow that involved much more gesturing of his arms than Merlin had ever seen before. Merlin found himself smiling for the first time since he had been dancing with Prince Arthur. Oh god, the prince! Merlin wondered what he would do now that Merlin had vanished. He had been so close to saving his kingdom, and now all was lost.

"Alright," Scruffy-beard said, "then it's decided. Merlin stays with us tonight. Now, come on men, we have work to do."

"Wait!" Merlin called as they began to make their way towards the door, "I don't even know your names."

"Leon" Scruffy-beard said before heading out the door, followed by Wavy-black-hair who said "Lancelot" with a smile that suited his handsome features. Next was Aithusa, who was practically bouncing out of the house, and announced his name even though Merlin already knew it. Then Bread-eater whose name was Percival and his dark-skinned friend, who was Elyan followed the first three into the woods. Smiling-brown-hair was next, and he bowed once more, saying "Gwaine, but you can call me whatever you like, my pretty prince." And finally Upset-brown-hair whose name was Will, as Merlin already knew. He gave Merlin a small smile before he followed his friends out into the woods. Merlin had to admit, he did look a lot better when he was smiling.

Now that he was alone, Merlin decided to check out the place he would be spending the next night in. The roof was high enough for him to stand in, and in one corner there was a small loft with a few bed rolls laid out in it. He had been sleeping on a large pile of furs that was slightly behind a small table. The house was slightly messy, but considering the rowdy group that lived there that did make some sense. When Merlin found the food store, he began to busy himself cooking. At least he could do something to pay his hosts back. It wasn't for not that he spent most of his time with the kitchen staff.

* * *

Trickler was amazed the king had bought his story. Still, he was quite happy to get away from the king, even if it meant collecting money from the starving townspeople. He felt slightly bad for the visiting prince, but he was starting to hope King Alined's plan worked, if it meant some reprieve from taxes for the commoners. As he rode through the woods in the king's carriage, his thoughts strayed momentarily to Merlin, wondering what had happened to him after he left him in the middle of the forest. Even though Trickler had let him go, there was still a pretty good chance he would have died, seeing as he was alone and unarmed in the dark, snowy forest. Trickler tried to push his worries aside as he reached the town. No matter what else was happening, he still had a job to do, and would no doubt find himself dead if he didn't complete it.

The mayor had been quite desperate to keep the money, but he was a small man, and Trickler had pulled the gold from his pathetic form. The eyes of the starving children pierced his back as he walked into the carriage. He understood why King Alined would never want to come here. Even his frozen heart might thaw slightly if he saw the suffering his greed had caused.

Trickler sat back in the carriage, counting the gold as the horses pulled him towards the castle. All the curtains were drawn, so he didn't notice the strange figures that had begun to surround the carriage. He didn't see the castle guard who had been steering the carriage fall off after being hit by a small missile from the forest. It wasn't until the horses were freed from the carriage that Trickler realized something was wrong, and pulled up the curtains on the front window, just in time to see the two horses run down the path while he continued straight towards the trees. Trickler braced himself as the carriage started to flip. He was very thankful that the walls were so cushioned as he landed in the overturned carriage, relatively unharmed. He held tightly to the sack of gold as he tried to decide what to do, when the doors were opened and seven small men dressed in black popped their heads in.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" One of them asked

"Looks like a noble." Another said.

"He's in the king's carriage." Yet another added.

Trickler stumbled over his words as he tried to divert their attention. "What? Me, and noble? No, I am merely a servant. So, I guess I will just be going then…"

Suddenly he found seven blades pointed in his direction. "Not so fast." The first said. He was the closest to Trickler's head.

"What's in the sack?" The smallest asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"M-m-my Lunch." Trickler stuttered out, praying they would believe him.

"Mmm, what are we eating?" the largest of the bunch said. Trickler couldn't help but realize that even though he was the largest, he was still probably about half the height of a normal man. He would definitely not be telling the king that his taxes were stolen by a bunch of dwarfs. The largest one took his silence as an opportunity to grab the sack and start digging in it. "Boys, we struck the mother load!" He cried, holding up a handful of gold pieces.

"Please don't take that. If I don't bring the king the taxes, who knows what will happen." Trickler said.

"Not our problem." One of the thieves said. "Now get out of the carriage and hand over your clothes."

"M-m-my clothes?" Trickler said as the dwarfs smirked at his reaction. When he found seven blades proding him, Trickler did as they asked, and was left in the cold by the overturned carriage to watch as they jumped away on strange bellow-like stilts with his clothes and the tax money.

* * *

Arthur stared at the plate in front of him. The small, roasted quail seemed to mock him as he tried to get to the food without the absurdly frilly sleeves of the shirt he had been given getting in the way. Giving up, Arthur yanked the frills off, and began to cut away at the small bird, hoping not to offend his host.

Even though he was trying to be polite, he couldn't help but think about what Prince Merlin had said at the party last night. What if this king really was as terrible as Merlin said he was? And what had happened that made Merlin run? Arthur had spent the rest of the evening asking about the boy, but all the other guest seemed surprised that he would have even made it to the party, informing him that he was sick and almost always confined to his chambers. That had only confused Arthur more as he knew Merlin had been the boy from the forest. If he was always in his chambers, what had he been doing out in the woods? And he certainly looked healthy enough. A little on the skinny side true, but not sick.

Arthur was pulled from his thoughts as King Alined asked, "Do you like your quail, Prince Arthur?"

Arthur didn't like the way the man watched him. Well, he really didn't like the man at all, but he responded with all the courtesy his father had taught him saying, "It is very good Sire. Thank you for sharing your table with me."

Alined smiled, but Arthur thought it looked more like a smirk, and said, "And the party, did you enjoy yourself?"

"Oh yes." Arthur said. Even if he didn't really trust the king, he would probably know where the prince was. "I met the young prince, Merlin I think his name was" Arthur said, trying to sound casual about it. He knew his name. He had spent most of the evening lying in bed whispering it and loving the way it rolled off his tongue. Even the boy's name was perfect. "I was wondering if he was available, as I would like to spend the day with him. I wish to get to know him better."

"Prince Merlin?" King Alined said with a grimace, "Well, sadly the boy really wasn't all there, if you know what I mean."

"You're speaking about him in past tense?" Arthur asked.

"Oh, yes. It was a tragedy really. He snuck out into the woods last night and was killed by the beast that lives there. Poor boy, I did my best to take care of him after his mother died, but he always was a bit confused." King Alined said.

Arthur felt like he had been doused in icy water. He had finally found the man of his dreams only for him to be yanked away from him in the cruelest way possible. He couldn't believe King Alined was so completely disrespectful to the dead prince. Something was definitely off about this kingdom.

"Well, enough about my deceased stepson." Alined said, "We have more important things to discuss. Isn't that right, Arthur? Is it ok if I call you Arthur?"

Arthur was still getting over the sudden news, so he simply nodded.

"Arthur it is then. We are both handsome single men, of around the same age." King Alined said, placing one of his slightly wrinkled hands on top of Arthur's. This snapped Arthur out of his reverie as he pulled his had away and said, "I don't think we are the same age."

"I said around." King Alined said. Arthur tried to scoot away from the crazy king, and felt incredibly relieved when the door opened, and the king's servant walked in in only his underclothes.

"Trickler!" King Alined shouted. "What are you doing here, and what happened to your clothes?"

"Sire," Trickler began, "I was robbed by seven bandits on my way back from collecting the town's taxes. They took the money and, sadly, my clothes before leaving me and the guard with me alone and unclothed in the woods."

Seven bandits that stole clothes as well as money? Arthur perked up. What if these were the same men who had stolen from him. He looked at the flustered servant, made sure the king could not see him, and stuck his hand about four feet off the ground, asking "Bandits?" with a significant gaze to the servant. The servant looked at the position of his hand, his eyes grew wide and he said, "Yes, bandits." Holding his own hand about the same height off the ground.

"That is disgraceful!" Prince Arthur said. "I will speak to your men, organize a party, and ride out to stop this threat to your kingdom as soon as we have a plan of attack."

Arthur then rushed from the room, grateful for any excuse to get away from the crazy king.

* * *

Merlin had just finished laying out the lunch he had made with the supplies he had found in the small kitchen of the house when the seven dwarfs returned. They all looked quite happy, and Percival (if Merlin remembered his name correctly) was carrying a big sack that made clinking noises with ever step he took. They seemed to have forgotten of his presence, so Merlin waited while they sorted through the things they had brought in.

Aithusa noticed him first, calling out "Merlin!" Percival was the second to turn, and his voice joined Aithusa, but he chose to focus on something else, saying "Food!"

Apparently that had been the magic word as all the dwarfs turned from what they had been doing and rushed to take their places around the round table. Merlin watched happily as they all took their share of stew, bread and vegetables. He silently thanked the cooks from his castle for teaching him, as they chomped happily and Elyan said, "He is definitely a keeper."

Merlin had already eaten though, so he turned to look through what the men had brought. A helmet caught his eyes first, and he picked it up, saying, "This is a palace guard helmet. Where did you get it?"

The chatter stopped, and Leon answered simply, saying "At work."

"What do you do?" Merlin asked, suddenly a little afraid of the men who had taken him in.

"We're renegades." Will offered, although he sounded slightly unsure of himself.

"Rebels?" Lancelot supplied.

"Thieves!" Gwaine shouted, raising his already half empty tankard.

"That is true." Percival said, smiling at Merlin.

"You mean you went into the castle? You stole the king's gold?" Merlin asked, picking up the heavy bag Percival had been carrying.

"Well, we didn't actually go into the castle. We stole the gold outside the village, from the royal carriage." Aithusa explained.

"These are the taxes! You stole the people's gold! You have to take it back." Merlin said firmly.

"We worked hard for that gold." Will said, putting down his spoon.

"Stealing isn't work." Merlin replied, "The people need this money. They are starving."

"They hate us." Aithusa said quietly. Merlin had to look away from the youngest dwarf. He looked as if he was about to cry.

"That can't be true." Merlin replied, slightly scared of the answer he might get.

"It is." Will said.

"Years ago, when the king expelled all the undesirables, no one stood up for us." Leon explained. "He said… he said.."

"He said banish all the uglies." Gwaine finished when it seemed Leon wasn't able to.

Merlin looked down. He didn't know just how terrible his stepfather had been to the people. "You've been mistreated by the king." He said sadly, "No one understands that better than me. What he did was unfair, but so is stealing from innocent families."

"We weren't always thieves." Elyan added. "We were legitimate."

"I owned a pub." Gwaine said with a happy look on his face.

"I was a butcher." Percival added.

"We ran honest businesses." Lancelot finished.

"Well, I don't know how honest your pub was." Will said, nudging Gwaine.

"Alright, I may have stolen a little, but it's a money business." Gwaine replied

"Well I didn't." Lancelot said.

"Yeah, but you cheat at poker." Gwaine responded.

"He cheats at poker!" Elyan exclaimed, and soon the entire table was in a giant argument that Merlin couldn't keep track of. Using their distraction to his advantage, Merlin picked up the gold and exited the house. He was still within sight of the house when he heard the door open and the seven men exit to follow him back towards the village.

Merlin ran as fast as he could, and, as his legs were slightly longer than his pursuers, he reached the village before they were able to catch him. He marched straight through the town to the mayor's small office, and dropped the money on his desk.

The man was delighted. He pulled Merlin with him out onto the small platform in front of the notice board. "Everyone!" the mayor cried out, "Our gold has been returned to us!" There was a great cheer from the people surrounding the platform when the mayor held up the sack. He gestured for Merlin to step forward as he said, "And we have this young man to thank for it! Tell us, what is your name?"

Merlin hesitated. He couldn't tell them who he was. That could let the king know he was still alive and close by. As he spotted the seven dwarfs pushing their way towards him he got an idea.

"Don't thank me." Merlin said as loudly as he could, "It is these seven fine men who brought back your gold. Thank them!"

The crowd broke out in another cheer, and Merlin watched as the surprised dwarfs were lifted onto shoulders, hugged, kissed, and thanked profusely for the gold they had stolen. Merlin smiled at their surprise as they eventually gave in and joined the celebration around them. He couldn't help but think that maybe he had finally found a way to fight back.

**So, what did you think of Aithusa the dwarf? Ok, silly, I know. I just couldn't stop myself. He would make an adorable person. I kind of imagined him looking something like Allen Walker from D. Gray Man if any of you have seen that, but with bright blue eyes and no scars. Yeah, sorry about that.**

**Also I wanted to explain how my dwarfs match with the movie counterparts so I can sort of explain their OOC-ness.**

**Leon= Will Grim~ the leader who is a little more focused on logistics than the others**

**Lancelot= Napoleon~ I can't exactly explain how these two match. I just really liked the idea of Lancelot designing clothes.**

**Gwaine=Half Pint~ Because Half Pint has a crush on Snow White and Gwaine has a crush on Merlin. There, I said it.**

**Percival= Chunk~ I feel Percival eats more than the other knights, I guess I can't be certain though...**

**Elyan= Chuckles~ I know less about Elyan then the rest of the knights, but Chuckles did spend a lot of time with Chunk, and Percival and Elyan are totally in love.**

**Will= Butcher~ Because I needed someone to be slightly less nice to Merlin, and I don't like Will that much. He just seemed appropriate.**

**Aithusa=Wolf~ Wolf likes to growl, he constantly wears a wolf skin, and Aithusa is a dragon. It totally works.**

**Anyhoo, I hope you have as much fun with them as I do. Again, sorry for any weirdness with Aithusa. I just really liked this idea.**


	6. Chapter 5: Training

**AN: I has new chapter! Yay!**

**But, I also have some bad news. I am sorry, but this will probably be the last chapter I write in a while. I'm going camping this weekend, then camping somewhere else, then on a trip with my grandparents and uncle. I will have my computer on the last trip, but there won't be much time for writing, sorry. When I get back I will try to finish this up quickly. Sorry again!**

**But, anyhoo, for now we have a chapter. And there is some Arthur and Merlin. I have to say, this is another scene in which I love the dialogue from the movie a bit too much so I may have stolen mostly from there and the characters maybe slightly OOC. Whoops. **

**And what did people think of Aithusa! I kind of love writing him. He may be my new favorite. He is just too cute!**

**Alright, I will stop talking about my crazy dragon-dwarf thing, and let you get on with the story! And thanks to everyone who reviewed or favorited or subscribed or whatever else! I love you guys!**

**I don't own Merlin or Mirror Mirror. I have a stuffed white dragon whose name is Aithusa though...**

Chapter Five: Training

Merlin smiled as he walked back through the woods with the dwarfs. Gwaine had gotten slightly drunk, and was currently being supported by Percival and Elyan as he sang strange songs and stumbled through the forest. He had even challenged a root to a duel after Merlin had tripped over it quite spectacularly, saying it had 'insulted Merlin's honor'. It had taken a while, but the other dwarfs had eventually been able to pull him away from his foe. Lancelot and Leon were walking at the head of the group, speaking in whispers. Will was walking next to Aithusa, trying to hide his happiness as the youngest dwarf jabbered on and on about the town, the food, and really whatever else popped into his head. When they were all back inside the house, Leon said, "Alright, everyone, we need to decide what to do about Merlin."

"He stole our gold." Will said, still slightly angry, apparently. This made Merlin frown, but luckily Aithusa jumped to his defense, saying, "But did you see the people, Will? They thought we were heroes!"

Leon nodded, and said, "Sorry Merlin, but I think this should be a privet discussion."

Merlin nodded and watched silently as all the dwarfs huddled together, forming a circle. He couldn't make out what they were saying, and the fact that they all seemed to be talking at once definitely wasn't helping. This went on for about five minutes before they separated and Lancelot announced, "We've decided. You can stay with us, but there are conditions."

"Really? Thank you!" Merlin said, hugging the nearest dwarf who just happened to be Will. Even though he grumbled about it, Merlin could tell the dwarf was quite happy by the way he gave a small hug back and flushed slightly when Merlin released him.

"Yes." Leon said, "But, if you want to live with us, you have to be one of us."

"You mean a dwarf?" Merlin said, looking down at his long legs and gulping slightly.

"No, of course not." Aithusa said, "You have to be a thief!"

"But I don't know the first thing about stealing." Merlin said sadly.

"That's why we're going to teach you." Leon said with a smile.

"Alright," Merlin said, "but I have a condition as well. Whatever we steal goes back to the people."

Some of the dwarfs looked slightly disappointed at this, but they nodded accepting Merlin's condition.

"Well, we've had quite the day." Leon said, "Why don't we all get some sleep. We can start your training tomorrow."

With that, Lancelot showed Merlin to where he would be sleeping, before each of the dwarfs went to their respective bed rolls and had settled down for the night. Gwaine had tried to curl up next to Merlin, but Leon had pulled him over to his own bed where he had fallen asleep almost immediately. Merlin settled into the pile of furs that was to be his bed, staring up at the wood ceiling above him. He was amazed at how much this small cabin felt more comfortable than his fancy room in the palace, as the snores of the seven men slowly lulled him to sleep

* * *

The training started as soon as Merlin had finished breakfast. Each of the dwarfs had their own specific lessons for him. Leon taught him strategy, about how to use surprise and cunning to defeat a larger and stronger opponent. Leon was definitely the leader of the small troop, and he took his job very seriously. He taught Merlin about their maneuvers and plans, instructing him in the methods they used to bring down their larger pray. Gwaine taught him how to fight with a sword. Merlin was amazed how serious the funny dwarf could be, and how quick he was with a blade. While he was teaching him it was like he was a whole different person. His sword was more like a part of his arm as he swung it gracefully about him. Merlin was pretty certain that if anyone else had been teaching him it would have been a complete disaster, with his terrible balance and all, but Gwaine was magnificent and soon Merlin was able to hold his own for a short period while fighting him. Percival taught him how to throw his weight and use the strength of his opponent against him. Again, the dwarf amazed Merlin as he flipped Merlin over his back with a quick movement, causing Merlin to land heavily on the ground. His training may have been the most painful, but what Merlin had learned from him would last much longer than the bruises he sustained.

Elyan had taught him how to use a bow and arrow and a slingshot. He had been much more successful with the slingshot than the bow and arrow, which seemed to suit Elyan just fine as he also preferred the smaller device. Merlin had had to apologize quite a few times as his rocks seemed to fly in every direction but the one he wanted, but he had eventually gotten a hang of it. Will had taught him how to sneak through the woods without making a sound. This proved to be slightly difficult as everywhere Merlin went he was followed by at least ten other creatures from the forest, mostly birds who liked to chirrup loudly and announce his presence. Lancelot had watched most of the training, adding his own tips whenever he could, but the main thing he did for Merlin was help him find more comfortable clothes. Although the blue and gold suit was beautiful, it was constricting, making it much more difficult for him to fight as the others taught him. So Lancelot had sought to rectify this, taking him to a corner of the house filled with the garments they had stolen from passing travelers. There had been way too many ruffles and ribbons for Merlin's liking, and he was pretty sure Lancelot was trying to make a fool of him when he gave him a giant hat with way too many feathers on the top to try on, but, eventually they had found the perfect outfit. Merlin felt more comfortable than he had in any of the expensive outfits he had worn as a prince. It was simple, a blue tunic with brown pants and a brown coat. They hung of his lanky body instead of clinging to his slim form, allowing a full range of motion. Lancelot had smiled when he came out wearing those, and after giving him one more pondering look, he had handed Merlin a bright red kerchief and told him to tie it around his neck. The red contrasted abruptly with the blue, and completed the outfit perfectly.

Merlin's favorite training had been with Aithusa. The white-haired boy had taken him out to a clearing and pulled him down so they were both sitting in the snow. He had then taken a hold of both Merlin's hands, pulling back his sleeves so the leather bracelets were exposed. Aithusa had touched one of them briefly before pulling his hand back as if it had been burnt.

"Why do you wear these?" He asked, looking at Merlin sadly.

Merlin pulled his wrists back, rubbing his fingers along the bands as he replied, "I couldn't control my powers. They were too strong, so the king had these made for me to keep me from hurting the people I care about."

"Merlin," the boy said, resting a hand on Merlin's knee, "your powers are not something to be feared. They are strong, but you will be able to control them. King Alined only wants you to think you are dangerous, because you are so kind hearted that you would willingly accept pain and weaken yourself to protect those around you. He would not be able to keep you from your kingdom if you had learned how to use your gift properly."

"You think so?" Merlin asked. He had always been afraid of his magic, had that all been because of Alined?

"I know so, Merlin." Aithusa replied, smiling. "I have magic as well. Really, everyone does, but few have enough to put to any use. Magic is everywhere, in every living creature, in each stone and river and tree. Magic is beautiful, only those with wicked hearts will use it to harm others. And your heart is pure and good, your magic would never betray that. It is a part of you, and cannot act without your will. Now, are you ready to learn how to use it?"

Merlin looked into Aithusa's bright blue eyes. He was scared, but the boy seemed to know what he was talking about. And Merlin had seen him use magic with the wings, and it had been incredible. He took a deep breath and nodded, causing Aithusa's grin to widen.

"Good. Then let me see your wrists, and don't worry, you will not harm me." Aithusa said, pulling a glowing silver dagger from his belt. Merlin held out his arms, exposing the bands he had been wearing ever since his mother had died. He gulped as the silver blade reached the material and sliced through the band on his right wrist. Merlin could feel an energy churning inside of him, aching to break free as Aithusa pulled the first band away and began working on the second. As his left arm was free the power bust forth, and a shimmering golden mist spread through the clearing. Merlin felt as if he was soaring, he couldn't remember ever feeling so free before in his life. When he regained his senses, he saw Aithusa standing in front of him, laughing and smiling as he looked around the clearing, which had been filled with snow. Now it looked like they had suddenly jumped forward to late spring, as flowers sprouted and bloomed around them. Merlin's jaw dropped as he said, "Did I do this?"

Aithusa nodded, before plucking a small purple flower and handing it to Merlin. "I told you magic was beautiful. This is going to be so much fun!"

They had spent the rest of the day in that meadow, Aithusa teaching him how to control the different elements, explaining to him how magic worked and how it should never be used to harm others, unless there really was no other option. They returned to the house as the sun was beginning to set, each of them carrying quite a few flowers from the meadow. Aithusa had taught Merlin how to make light in the darkness, so they were guided down the path by a bright blue sphere, illuminating any rocks and branches that could trip them.

Merlin smiled as Aithusa raved about his skills. Apparently the boy was quite happy to finally have someone else living with them who he could practice magic with. Not long after they had returned, Will had pulled him aside and bandaged his wrists which were still scarred from the bracelets. Merlin had been surprised at this side of the usually grumpy man, but didn't argue as Will's fingers carefully treated the raw skin that Aithusa had exposed. Merlin thanked him, but Will waved it away as he went to take his place at the table.

As time went on, Merlin found himself smiling more and more. He had found a family, and he was truly happy for the first time in years. His thoughts did occasionally stray to Prince Arthur, but he found that happened less and less as he adjusted to life as a renegade. It took a little over a week for the dwarfs to declare him ready to fight. Merlin had been quite excited to show off his skills as they discussed how best to utilize their newest member. Merlin felt ready for anything as he followed the dwarfs out of the house and into the snow covered woods.

* * *

The soldiers in Avalon really were not the best. It had taken Arthur over a week before he felt confident leading them away from the palace, where all they did was stand still and look intimidating all day. He spent as much time as possible training the men, hoping to avoid the king at all costs. When he wasn't training them he said he needed to learn the lay of the land, and would retreat to the library to pour over all the maps of the region he could find.

The only times he really couldn't avoid Alined was at meals. Arthur was beginning to contemplate starving himself just to keep away from the creepy king. The man seemed to get bolder and bolder at every meal, suggesting things that often had Arthur gagging. He prayed for Ethan to return soon so he would have the supplies necessary to leave, but as his manservant did not return he focused all his energy on taking down these bandits.

Finally, he felt the men were ready for their first attempt. Arthur had figured they could start where he had been attacked first. There were quite a few twists in the road around that point, which would give the bandits the slight advantage, or at least they would think they had the advantage. They would be counting on surprising their victims, but Arthur had explained exactly what noises to be wary of to the men, so hopefully the thieves wouldn't be able to sneak up on him quite so easily this time.

They were almost there when they ran into a man wearing a dark cloak. He was average height, so Arthur had been pretty certain he was not with the bandits that had attacked him. The man had fallen across the path, and he was trying to quickly pick up the objects that had spilled from a basket he was carrying as he muttered apologies to the troop he had forced to come to a halt. Arthur got of his horse and went over to help him as he scurried around the path.

"Are you alright sir?" Arthur asked, extending his hand to the cloaked man, who turned slightly at his voice, revealing two perfect blue eyes Arthur had been sure he would never see again.

"Prince Arthur?" the not-exactly-dead Prince Merlin asked, pulling back his hood and standing in front of Arthur.

"Merlin?" Arthur said back, "I thought you were dead!"

Merlin seemed nervous about something as he took of his cloak and said "I almost was." He was glancing at the trees an awful lot, which was beginning to tick Arthur off. Suddenly he realized why as seven very recognizable figures sprung from the forest. Arthur pulled Merlin behind his back, thinking that the bandits must have been chasing him. Merlin pulled away, causing Arthur to send him a confused glance. Merlin returned his look with one of apology before reaching his hand up and grabbing a sword from one of the figures on stilts who vaulted over the pair of princes.

Arthur was momentarily stunned as he began to put two and two together and cried out, "You're working with the bandits!"

Merlin shot him an exasperated look as he replied, "You're working with the king!" and charged. Arthur just had time to pull out his own sword and block Merlin's blow. The other prince was quite good for someone who apparently was too sickly to leave his chambers.

"You're a traitor!" Arthur accused as he met each of Merlin's blows and began to return some of his own. No matter how good the other prince was for someone as skinny as he was, Arthur was still better. He had been training with a sword since he was about three, and had been competing in tournaments since he was eight. Merlin couldn't have been fighting for nearly as long, as his arms were much too skinny to be those of a regular sword fighter.

"And you're a prat!" Merlin replied. They were slowly moving away from the chaos that was the soldiers and the dwarfs. Arthur hated to admit it, but when he looked down it was quite obvious who was winning, and it hadn't been his men.

"Please Merlin, stop this. I don't want to fight you." Arthur said, blocking each one of Merlin's increasingly desperate blows.

"Why not?" Merlin asked angrily. "If you've sided with the King, you should want me dead! Why wouldn't you fight me?"

"Because I usually fight trained warriors, not people like you. You're practically a girl."

"Is that so?" Merlin said, lunging once more and landing a small blow and Arthur's arm. He wasn't bleeding, but the whack had hurt.

"Perhaps, just this once, I can make an exception." Arthur said, grabbing Merlin's arm and spinning him so he could tap his opponent's exceptionally perfect bottom with the flat side of his sword.

Merlin growled and pulled away and said, "Can't you see the King's got you in his thrall! He is using you! He's evil!"

Arthur thought the king was a creep, but to say he was evil? That seemed to be going quite far. "He did say you were crazy." Arthur replied.

"He also said I was dead!" Merlin said, and Arthur had to admit he had a point. Still, Arthur had always been taught to fight against rebels and robbers, and it seemed Merlin was currently both, so he would keep fighting.

"The king probably is just having problems because you and your little friends keep stealing from him." Arthur said, more to convince himself that he was doing the right thing than to argue with Merlin.

"If you haven't noticed, the king isn't so good with money. He has taken more than his fair share, and it still isn't enough. We are helping save the people." Merlin said between blows. It looked as if he was beginning to tire as he spent more time ducking behind trees and less actually fighting Arthur. Arthur was able to use his exhaustion to his advantage, and knocked his sword from his grasp, sending it flying away and landing a good twenty feet from both of them.

"Yield, Merlin." Arthur said. What happened next took him completely by surprise. Merlin reached out his right hand, his eyes flashed gold, and suddenly the blade was back in his hand. He used Arthur's momentary surprise to force him back through the woods. Arthur quickly perked up, saying, "You have magic as well? Any other secrets you're hiding from me?"

"Hmm.." Merlin said with a smile, "I'm alive, working with the bandits, and have magic. I think that's about it!"

It didn't take Arthur long to regain the upper hand again. Merlin was obviously not used to fighting for extended periods of time, especially not someone like Arthur. Arthur pulled him close, sending another light tap to his bottom and getting a lovely yelp in response. "If you weren't trying to stab me," Arthur said, "I might be tempted to kiss you."

Merlin grinned and said, "I better keep trying then." He then twisted his shoulders, and shifted so Arthur was forced back, landing on his bottom behind Merlin. Merlin had also fallen but his fall looked more planned, as he ducked into a roll and sprung to his feet as Arthur slowly clambered back up to his.

"This is getting ridiculous." Arthur said as Merlin charged him once more. "You know you can't beat me."

"We'll have to see about that." Merlin said, panting but still grinning. Arthur sighed and rolled his eyes, before swinging his sword in a circle and charging once more. This was getting old, and he was ready to end it. He tried to ignore the fact that he was now being watched by seven dwarfs on stilts. It seemed they had completely destroyed his men, as a couple of them were holding the helmets of the palace guard, and none of the soldiers were watching his fight. Arthur's frustration at the pathetic soldiers gave him new strength, and he disarmed Merlin once more. This time, instead of sending his blade flying, Arthur swung it up and into his own hand. Now, he was holding both blades, and pointed them at Merlin. He wasn't going to kill him, he knew that, but he would not be defeated again.

"Merlin," Arthur said calmly, "It's over."

Merlin just glared at him and ducked down to grab a rock. For some reason he kept on looking behind Arthur, then above him. Merlin looked almost like a trapped animal as Arthur kept the blades up. Arthur laughed quietly and said, "Put it down. We're done playing. Or did you not learn enough from your spankings."

That did it, Merlin's eyes narrowed in anger and he flung the rock. His aim apparently was atrocious as the stone went soaring over Arthur's head. He laughed again saying, "You even throw like a girl."

But, Merlin hadn't missed. What Arthur hadn't realized was that he had his back to his horse that was tied to a snow covered tree. When Merlin had let the rock fly, it had hit one of the snow laden branches, causing a flurry of snow and ice to drop onto the horse's back, startling it and causing it to rear back, sending Arthur sprawling to the ground.

Arthur blinked his eyes open as Merlin pulled his head up and asked, "Why did you have to be so darn cute?" before he punched Arthur's face, and Arthur fell into darkness.


	7. Chapter 6: Dog Days

**AN: Hello! I'm still on the road but I managed to get one chapter done! Sorry it is a bit short. The exciting stuff really starts happening in the next chapter, I promise.**

**Anyhoo... In other news, I have been beginning work on my next fic as we drive (I really don't like going back and forth once I've got something started on a computer, so when I leave my computer I usually start something new... Plus I don't have to constantly be watching parts of Mirror Mirror for this one ;)) and would like to know if there is anything you lot would like to see in a Thief!Merlin fic. It is going to be rated T and it will be Merthur, but if there is anything any of you are interested in that fits with that I could try to get it in. I have a pretty good idea of how it is going to work, my plan exists (so I have a basic layout for the chapters) and I have written most of the first four chapters. I really like it, but I want to make it good for everyone, so if you want to give me some advice, now would be a great time to do it! You can review or PM any suggestions, whatever you feel most comfortable with.**

**So, I will be travelling a bit more, so there probably won't be much more of this before I get home... Sorry about that, but it won't be long now. I think there will be three more chapters-ish? Thanks for all the reviews and support! There aren't a whole lot of people reading this fic, but I love every one of you!**

**And of course, I don't own Merlin or Mirror Mirror. That takes a lot more money than I have...**

Chapter Six: Dog Days

Alined had been having a rather good day. That was before Prince Arthur and the soldiers he had brought with him came back to the palace, all in only their undergarments. Arthur looked especially ashamed, seeing as this was the second time he had appeared before the king like this.

"Prince Arthur," Alined sighed, "we must stop meeting like this."

Arthur shuffled slowly, looking completely embarrassed as he said, "The bandits took us by surprise."

"So you went out looking for them," Alined said with an exasperated tone, "and they still took you by surprise?"

"Yes." Mumbled Arthur, looking down at his bare feet and trying to cover his chest as much as he could with his arms alone. "I must admit we were out skilled. Their leader was incredibly ruthless and cunning, and he used magic."

"He used magic?" Alined replied, "Are you sure?

"Yes. He was Prince Merlin." Arthur said, sounding quite certain.

Alined burst into laughter. The prince had to be mistaken. Merlin was dead, he was certain of it. As he stopped laughing he heard Trickler say, "That is impossible. Merlin is dead."

"No." Arthur said looking around at the men with him for support, "He's not. It was definitely Merlin."

"You were in the forest, it was dark, I think we should open ourselves up to the possibility that it was just someone who looked a lot like the late Prince Merlin." Trickler said, sounding much more nervous than Alined liked. And Arthur looked so sure of himself, could it be possible that his most trusted servant had betrayed him for the lousy, waste-of-space, Prince?

"What a fun surprise." Alined murmured, as Trickler whispered, "Agree to disagree."

"You told me he was dead." Arthur said, stepping forward and looking quite angry.

"He said he was dead." Alined said, gesturing to Trickler and getting more and more frustrated by the minute.

"I wish I was dead." whispered Trickler, but he went ignored as Arthur said, "You said he was mad."

"He is mad, not as mad as I am right now" Alined growled. He needed to talk to the mirror. It should have told him Merlin was still alive.

"Well, what is it, he's mad or he's dead? He seemed completely sound of mind to me as he led his troop of dwarfs-"

"Dwarfs?" Alined asked, cutting Arthur off mid-sentence. "I thought you said they were giants?"

"They are." Arthur said, blushing a brilliant red as he tried to cover up his mistake. "They're giant dwarfs. They're big, but sometimes small." Arthur mumbled out the last bit.

"Well I feel I have been deceived." Alined said. He was going to continue but he was cut off by Arthur shouting, "NO! I have been deceived. I am being misled, either by you or Merlin, and I want to know what is really going on, NOW!"

Alined glared at the prince who would have been perfect if it wasn't for his constant digging around in things that were definitely not his business. He needed another love potion, damn the consequences. He took a deep breath and said, "Very well. Come to my chambers this evening and I will tell you everything."

"Really?" Arthur replied, apparently he hadn't expected to get a positive answer so easily.

Alined just nodded before leaving the throne room and rushing back to his chambers. He only had a few hours to get a love potion from the stubborn piece of glass and make certain Merlin would not live to see the morning.

When he reached his chambers, he didn't hesitate, rushing into the secret room that held the magic mirror. He whispered the words that were required to allow him to pass through, and walked through the rippling glass, not even glancing around at the sudden change of scenery as he walked into the shack that housed the man in the mirror.

"You knew Merlin was alive!" He shouted, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought it would be more fun for you to find out this way." The mirror said in an infuriatingly calm voice.

"I want him dead. And I want Trickler dead." Alined growled.

"You shouldn't kill Trickler, where would you be without your executive bootlicker?"

"You're right. But he needs to suffer for betraying me for that sniveling, pale brat."

"There will be a price." The mirror replied cryptically.

"I don't care, I want it done!" Alined shouted.

The mirror faded for a moment, showing Trickler as he drank something in one of the halls of the palace. The mirror snapped his fingers, and suddenly Trickler shrunk and started growing extra arms. When the spell was complete, his servant was nothing more than a cockroach, scurrying across the clean palace floors. Alined smirked. That made him feel slightly better, but there still was the matter of Prince Arthur to sort out.

"I need more of the love potion, the one I used on Merlin's mother." Alined said.

"You used that all up." The mirror replied quietly.

"I don't care, make me some more!"

"You ask for too much, do not forget that there will be a price to pay for using magic every time you want something you cannot have."

"I know, I know. Just give me the potion, or I will break you into a thousand little pieces!" Alined shouted. The mirror just laughed quietly and said, "Very well. But do not be angry at me when the time comes you must pay for your misuse of my powers."

A small vile appeared on the table at the center of the hut, which Alined grabbed greedily, tucking it away in the safety of his coat before leaving the mirror. He was sick of the constant condescending tone and incessant warnings. Didn't the mirror understand that he was its master, and it had to obey him? Maybe after he got the prince to marry him, he could break the infernal thing, and finally be free of its nagging.

* * *

Arthur didn't want to be alone with the king, but he wanted to learn to truth, so he found himself entering the large chambers that belonged to the king just after the sun set. King Alined was waiting for him wearing some horrid flowing robe that Arthur was afraid would not cover him completely if he made any sudden movements. Arthur coughed slightly to announce his presence and said, "You said you would tell me the truth, your highness."

"Yes. I did, didn't I?" Alined said, gesturing to the seat on the couch next to him and holding out a silver cup. Arthur moved to stand next to him but did not take the offered seat or drink. "No thank you." Arthur replied quickly, "I only came here to learn the truth about Prince Merlin and this kingdom."

Alined smiled at him, but the smile did not look completely genuine, as he stood to be closer to Arthur. "It is quite the long tale. Merlin lost his father at a young age and never really was quite right after then. I remarried his mother of course. Are you sure you wouldn't like something to drink? I feel it is only right we offer some tribute before we speak of the dead."

Arthur was beginning to think he would need some alcohol just to get through this conversation, so he gave in, taking the silver cup from Alined's extended hand and downing it in one gulp. It felt miraculous. No drink had ever worked quite so quickly, as he felt a strange warmth spread through his body and he began to feel a slight dizziness. Unfortunately, the dizziness quickly became stronger, till Arthur fell, knocking himself out on the hard ground.

* * *

Alined waited patiently for Arthur to rise. He really should have made sure the prince was sitting before he drank the potion, the same thing had happened with Hunith. The power of the potion knocked the drinker out momentarily before they woke with a newfound love of the intended subject of affection, in this case, Alined.

"Prince Arthur?" Alined called out quietly. He could just see Arthur's extended feet as he sat down on the bed, spreading his robe out suggestively. If all went right he would be able to use the prince's body to relieve some of the stress that had been building ever since he learned Merlin was still alive. He frowned briefly as he thought of his stepson, before he smiled again as he saw Arthur's legs begin to twitch. Suddenly he heard a strange panting. That certainly hadn't happened with Hunith. When Arthur shot up, sitting on all fours, Alined knew something was wrong. His suspicions were confirmed as Arthur jumped on top of him shouting "MASTER!" and began licking his face.

"Stop!" Alined cried out, confused and slightly disgusted by this sudden behavior. On a strange hunch he yelled "SIT!"

The command worked, Arthur was sitting at the edge of his bed, looking as if he was having quite a hard time staying still. His legs were shaking and he was letting out a strange whimpering noise. Alined reached into his pocket to pull out the empty bottle that had held the love potion. As he turned the small glass vial from the side that said 'love' in loopy letters, and noticed the picture of a tiny dog on the opposite side.

"Puppy love?" Alined said, he was going to get that mirror for this. "What am I supposed to do with a puppy?"

Arthur turned towards him, looking quite excited and said, "Oh, you could rub my tummy, or take me on walks, or, or, you could throw sticks, and I could retrieve them! We are going to have so much fun master!"

Alined rolled his eyes and said, "Yes, but what I really need you to do is marry me."

"Yes." Arthur replied quickly, causing Alined to turn towards him in surprise. "I will do that. I will because I love you to the ends of the earth. I love you across the seven seas. You're my master!"

Alined found himself with a lap full of Arthur once more as the enchanted prince tried to lick his face once more. Alined groped around, feeling for something he could use to distract the prince. His hand landed on a pillow, which he flung from his window. Arthur sat up as the object dropped down, watching its descent with wide eyes.

"Go get it." Alined said, gesturing towards the window. Arthur rushed to the window to look down at where the pillow had fallen, and turned back to Alined, who gestured him away. Arthur took off down the halls, leaving Alined alone to ponder this new development.

"Well, there are pros and cons to this." Alined mumbled before collapsing onto his large bed to think about his upcoming wedding.

* * *

Merlin sat around outside with his new friends. They had decided to eat outside as it was a beautiful night, even if it was a bit chilly. They had been laughing and joking until Gwaine ran back with news from the village.

"The king's getting married!" Gwaine shouted, taking his set at the table.

"To who, the Lady Catrina?" Merlin asked, laughing a bit as he imagined Alined with the troll-like woman.

"No." Gwaine said, as he tried to catch his breath.

"Who else would want to marry Alined?" Merlin said, completely confused.

"He's marrying that prince you fought. Arthur, right?"

"What?" Merlin mumbled. That couldn't be right. Arthur wouldn't marry his stepfather, would he? He had thought the prince loved him, could he have been so mistaken. He barely heard Percival ask for someone to pass the potatoes as he was lost in his grief-stricken mind. "Why would he do that?"

"Why would you care?" Gwaine replied sounding quite confused and receiving glares from both Lancelot and Leon, who seemed to realize something the others hadn't. Merlin did his best to hold back tears as he asked, "When's the wedding?"

"Tomorrow, down by the lake. It's going to be a private little affair." Gwaine muttered. He seemed ashamed of being the bearer of the news that had Merlin so miserable.

"I'm sorry, I have to go." Merlin muttered leaving the table and heading into the woods. He didn't go too far, just far enough that the dwarfs wouldn't hear him crying at the loss of the man he had thought he loved. He knew it was stupid, Arthur hadn't promised him anything, but to lose his first love so quickly was a little difficult for him. He could just hear what the dwarfs said as Elyan asked, "What's the matter with him?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Lancelot replied. "He loves the prince."

"Loves him? They were trying to kill each other yesterday." Elyan said, chuckling slightly.

"What do you think love is?" Lancelot replied, softly.

"Love is someone passing the potatoes." Percival said. Merlin would have smiled at that if he wasn't so depressed.

"I love you, Perce." Leon said, and Merlin heard a brief thud and Lancelot say, "Thanks, Leon."

"I was aiming for Percival." Leon replied, making Merlin think Leon must have thrown a potato at Percival, and had missed, hitting Lancelot who was sitting next to the hungry dwarf.

"Of course." Lancelot replied. Merlin ran further into the forest, he needed to get away from the seven men discussing his failed crush.


	8. Chapter 7: Running Away

**AN: Hello...**

**I'm a terrible author. I'm so sorry. I just couldn't stop myself from writing my new thief!Merlin fic, so this one got kind of neglected. And this chapter is still really short. Gosh, I'm just kind of a failure at this story right now, huh. I'm so sorry. And I do still love all of you, and this story, I swear. It's just my other story is calling to me and stealing all my time by being so much fun to write. And I do kind of like getting to write something that isn't totally like something else again. But, I think this fic only has like two chapters and an epilogue maybe left so hopefully I should finish it soon-ish? Hopefully. And maybe in the mean time you can check out The Legend of Emrys: Thief of the Darkling Woods? The fic that is currently occupying all of my time. I can promise it will be updated more frequently.**

**I loved all of the reviews, and I want to say a special thank you to hurr hurr who I can't respond to and wished me a good trip. It was wonderful, and it was so nice of you to say that. So thank you very much :)**

**Finally, I don't own Merlin or Mirror Mirror. If I did, I would probably have a deadline and I wouldn't have been able to leave this fic hanging like I did. I guess you may have noticed I feel bad about this... Sorry.**

Chapter Seven: Running Away

Merlin hadn't gone far when he heard a large crash from behind him. He turned back, thinking the dwarfs had probably started a fight again, when he heard shouts along with another loud crash. Merlin felt his brows knot together as he took off back towards the camp, worried about his friends.

When he reached their small hut, he realized that he had every reason to be frightened for his friends. There were two strange creatures attacking the dwarfs. They were incredibly strange-looking, almost human in figure, but without any distinguishing characteristics and made of wood. They looked like a model an artist might use to get a better idea of how the human body could twist and turn, but giant. One had jumped atop the house and was smashing through the roof with a large shovel. The other had Lancelot, Leon, and Will cornered up against the house and was lunging at them, forcing them back further into the wood of the hut. And something felt off about them. Like there was a darkness holding them, and he could feel a ringing in his ears. As he watched the way they fought he realized something. They weren't controlling their own movements, something was controlling them. They were puppets, and he could just barely make out thin, silvery strings holding their strange limbs up off the ground. With the screams of his friends encouraging him, Merlin reached out his hand and willed his sword to come to him. The blade flew to him, causing one of the creatures to turn its blank face towards him. The ringing increased for a moment as the place where eyes, a mouth and nose should have been focused on him. Merlin took a deep breath, summoning all his courage and running up the rocky outcropping so he could reach the strings. With two sure swings the strings were cut, and the creatures fell, lifeless, to the ground.

"Merlin!" Lancelot called out, "You did it! Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Merlin responded with a sigh, "What about you? It didn't hurt you, did it?"

"No. We're all fine." Leon responded, moving out from his hiding place. Suddenly the door to the house flew open and Aithusa ran out yelling, "Will! Will! Are you ok?"

"Course I am, you crazy little wizard." Will replied, trying to fight off Aithusa's tight hug.

"What about everyone else inside?" Merlin called down through the opening the creature on the house had made. "Are you all unharmed?"

"No Merlin, and I think the only thing that can save me is the kiss of a beautiful prince!" Gwaine cried out. There was a thump and Gwaine groaned a bit before Elyan shouted, "Don't listen to him, we're all fine in here, it didn't get to us."

Merlin let out a sigh of relief, before he asked, "What were those things? Where did they come from?"

"They were made by magic." Aithusa said, a frown on his face. "Dark magic."

"Who would use dark magic?" Percival asked, having joined the group outside.

Merlin climbed down and thought about Percival's question. Whoever used the magic had definitely been targeting them, but who would want to kill the dwarfs? Could the user have been after him? Merlin knew there was one person who wanted him dead; could the king have used dark magic to achieve his goals? The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. When he reached the group of dwarfs already gathered on the forest floor, he said, "King Alined. He would use dark magic, if it meant getting what he wants. And he wants me dead. It's my fault these creatures attacked you."

"No, Merlin!" Aithusa cried, separating himself from Will and moving to Merlin's side. "It's not your fault. It's that wicked king. He should never have misused magic like that."

Merlin smiled weakly at Aithusa as Leon said, "Come on guys, it's late. We should try to fix things up a bit before we sleep."

Merlin nodded, and began to clean the house without really thinking about what he was doing. His mind was filled with thoughts of Alined, and injured dwarfs, and Prince Arthur, and the people who needed him. He had failed everyone. As they gave up on cleaning and began to settle in to sleep, Merlin made up his mind. He knew what he had to do.

* * *

Lancelot was the first of the dwarfs to wake. This wasn't very surprising, most of the others liked to sleep late, but he always tried to get up to see the sunrise. As he stretched and looked around their slightly destroyed home, the pile of furs in the corner caught his eye. Usually Merlin would be sprawled across it, looking peaceful in his sleep, but today they were empty. Lancelot felt a small crease form between his eyebrows as he realized something was wrong. He quickly searched the house, but it was also Merlin-less. The only sign the prince had been there at all was a piece of paper left on the makeshift bed he had been using.

"Guys! Wake up! Merlin's gone!" Lancelot called out, and watched as the dwarfs slowly sat up and rubbed their eyes.

"What?" Aithusa asked, "He can't be gone!"

"Did you check the kitchens?" Percival asked.

"He wouldn't leave without saying goodbye." Gwaine said, standing up and moving next to Lancelot.

"He left a note." Lancelot said, holding up the piece of paper. Gwaine snatched it and started reading.

"Dear Leon, Lancelot, Gwaine, Percival, Elyan, Will, and Aithusa, I'm so sorry to leave, I love you all dearly." Gwaine lowered the letter for a second and said, "Wait, he loves us all?"

Lancelot snatched the letter and continued, "But I can't continue putting you all in danger. If I stay here the king will keep on attacking, and next time he does one of you might get hurt. I can't let that happen, you will be far safer without me. I wish I was strong enough to face him, but I'm not. I'm not my father, no matter how much I wish I was. I'm not a leader. I'm going to leave, go far away where the king won't be able to find me. I want you all to know that I will never forget the time we spent together, they were some of the best times of my life. I wish you luck, and ask that you don't forget me.

Merlin.

P.S. Percival, I left you a stack of pancakes in the kitchen."

Lancelot folded the letter as he finished reading it. He almost felt like crying, but he knew he couldn't show weakness in front of the younger dwarfs, they needed him to be strong, especially now. Percival was the first to speak, saying, "I don't want pancakes. I want Merlin."

There were mutters of consent, and Leon stood, ever the leader, saying "Alright, let's consider our options and put it to a vote."

"No." Will said from the back of the group. "No vote, we go after him. Now."

Lancelot couldn't help but agree with Will. All of the others seemed to share this opinion as well and they all hurried out of the house, but quickly stumbled to a halt as they found Merlin, using his magic to try to piece the house back together.

"You were supposed to let me leave." Merlin said with a sad smile.

"You can't leave us, Merlin!" Aithusa said, running forward and grabbing onto Merlin's legs.

"He's right, Merlin." Lancelot said, "You can't leave now, you have to save your prince."

"He loves someone else. I wasn't good enough for him." Merlin said, trying to hide his sadness with a small smile.

"That's impossible." Lancelot said.

"It's not. I was just being silly. And now he's getting married to the king. I was stupid to think he could ever love me, and that I could ever be strong enough to fight the king." Merlin said, sitting on a log.

"You are strong, Merlin." Leon said, "You took a thieving group of dwarfs who believed they had nothing left, and gave them another choice. You were strong enough to do that."

"We don't see a little boy when we look at you, Merlin." Will said.

"We see a prince." Leon supplied.

"And a leader." Elyan added.

"Our leader." Will finished

"Your kingdom needs you." Leon said.

"I need you." Gwaine said, but when Percival punched him he revised his statement and said, "I mean, we need you."

Merlin smiled at them and stood, pulling out his sword and saying, "Come on guys, we have a wedding to crash."

Lancelot couldn't help but join the whooping as they prepared to steal something besides gold and clothing from King Alined.


	9. Chapter 8: Breaking a Spell

**AN: Alright, I'm finally updating this story! YAY!**

**Anyhoo, still pretty short chapter (sorry) and there really is only like one more chapter (plus a short-ish epilogue) so hopefully it should be up soon? I really hope every reading this is also reading The Legend of Emrys cause I really do update that one a lot more often, it is kind of taking over my life. I love it.**

**Also, I have classes and homework and stuff now, how crazy is that? But still this will hopefully be done soon, just one big battle and a few closing detail things, then we've done it :)**

**Thanks for all the support! I really do love all of my readers even though I neglect you from time to time...**

**And I don't own Merlin or Mirror Mirror. Maybe I could get one of the wigs from the wedding scene though... those were pretty awesome...**

Chapter Eight: Breaking a Spell

Arthur was thoroughly excited. There were so many strange smells and people, so many different colors and textures, so many things to lick! And master was going to be so proud of him if he did what he was told. He could just imagine it now, there would be so many belly rubs and games of fetch, everything would be so much fun! All he had to do was stay in the stuffy clothes for a little while longer, then master would be so happy, and he could run and jump and sniff and lick and eat whatever he wanted. He didn't notice the way everyone was watching him with strange glances, or the way many people were offended as he licked and sniffed around their lavish outfits, all he could think of was pleasing his master, when the time came.

* * *

The wedding was a perfect target for Merlin and the dwarfs. Plenty of rich people in clothes twice the size of their bodies, paying very little attention to what was going on around them. And, as an added bonus, many of the women's outfits were large enough the dwarfs could hide in them, gaining them access to the tent set up on the frozen lake before they announced their presence. Merlin had to wait with Leon and Lancelot outside, as he was much too tall to sneak around under the enormous skirts of some of the ladies of the court. He knew they all had layers of undergarments under their skirts, so the dwarfs wouldn't be invading their privacy too much. He craned his neck hoping to get a chance to see Arthur, knowing it wouldn't be long now. Still, Merlin couldn't keep from fidgeting. He needed to get to Arthur.

When the other five dwarfs had been inside for a long enough to thoroughly invade the party, Lancelot threw the first snowball. It landed right on the helmet of the guard farthest from them, causing him to look around in confusion. Leon threw his soon after, confusing the second guard as well. While the searched around for the culprit, Leon, Lancelot, and Merlin snuck up behind both of them, and with a small push from his magic, both guards fell on their faces in the snow, completely unconscious. As they fell the rest of the dwarfs sprung from their hiding places, quickly taking down any remaining guards as Merlin strode in, saying, "This is a stick up."

"Give us all your gold." Leon added.

"And your clothes." Lancelot finished. Merlin brightened up as he saw Arthur standing near a table piled high with food yelling, "NO! You cannot do this to me again!"

Merlin just winked at him as the dwarfs began excepting all the money and fancy clothes from the nobles who had gathered for the wedding. As they arrived at Arthur who looked completely distressed in clothes that were too tight for him to fight, Arthur gave a small whimper that really didn't sound like a noise the prince of Camelot should be making. Merlin tried to ignore it as Will and Percival tied Arthur's hands together and he said, "We'll be taking the Prince as well. Be sure to tell the King we stopped by!"

Then, with a cherry wave, they ran, leaving the disgruntled party-goers in only their undergarments.

* * *

Alined was ecstatic. He looked amazing, Trickler was finally back to his normal self, and he had Prince Arthur under his thumb. Soon, everything would be perfect. He would have money and a beautiful young man to warm his bed, nothing could be better. The mirror would take care of Merlin, and things in the kingdom would go back to normal. Apparently the universe had conspired against him as he stepped out of his carriage, immediately realizing something was wrong. The guards that were supposed to be outside the tent were missing, and the curtains had been pulled closed. He marched forward and yanked the curtains back, to see the serving staff smiling back at him, looking much smugger than any maids and cooks should ever look. A cough from one of the corners of the tent caused him to turn his head. What he saw next infuriated him as he yelled out, "What the hell is wrong with this kingdom! What happened to all of your clothes?"

The partially dressed nobles glared at him and one of them said, "This is outrageous!"

"Unacceptable!" another cried.

"King Alined," Catrina said, sounding almost excited, "If you cannot handle a group of outlaws, you do not have the right to be king. The gentry wants you deposed."

Alined blinked. There was no way this was happening. "What was that?" He asked Catrina, hoping he had miss heard her.

"Deposed!" She shrieked, "Dismissed! Preferably deported as well!"

"Ah." Alined said. It was taking all of his willpower not to rip Catrina's ugly head from her body. "Where is the prince?"

"He's not here." One of the cook's girls said. "He was stolen."

"By whom?" Alined growled.

"Prince Merlin." All the semi-nude nobles said, followed by a short "Ha." from Catrina.

Alined felt his left eye twitch as he lost all control. Today was supposed to be his perfect day, and that weakling had had to ruin everything! Of course the mirror had failed, he should never have trusted that pathetic piece of glass to take out Merlin. He turned from the mess that was supposed to be his wedding reception to Trickler, grabbing his collar and hissing, "If you want someone dead, you do it yourself." Before stalking back into his carriage, imagining how wonderful it would feel to tear Merlin's long, pale throat and watch his blood pour out over the snow. But first he had to change. No point in ruining a perfectly good suit when he would be getting his prince back so soon.

* * *

Merlin watched with disappointment as Arthur let out another wail. He hadn't stopped sobbing since they brought him back to the camp. All the dwarfs but Aithusa and Will were also watching, the other two had gone to take the gold they had gathered into the village. In between wails Arthur cried, "You don't understand, you have to take me back to my king! I yearn for the nectar of his skin."

"The nectar of his skin?" Percival repeated, sounding quite skeptical, "Who talks like that?"

"He must be under some type of spell." Leon said, having to practically yell over Arthur's increasingly loud whimpers.

"A spell?" Merlin repeated, "That certainly sounds like the king, especially after what happened last night. So, does anyone know how to break a spell?"

"Aithusa might." Lancelot replied. But of course, Aithusa wasn't there. Apparently the other dwarfs didn't have much knowledge of magic, as each tried their own method of curing the prince. Percival had tried punching him, but that had achieved nothing except Arthur crying out, "My only pain is the absence of my king!" Lancelot had tried wafting a dead fish head around Arthur, but that hadn't worked either, Arthur had just started sniffing wildly. Elyan's tickling method, Gwaine's boxing him on the ears, and Leon's giant gong also had very little effect. Merlin was starting to think about giving up for the night and getting dinner prepared when Aithusa and Will returned, just as Leon banged the gong for a second time.

"What's going on?" Aithusa asked, smiling widely while Will traipsed behind him, hands over his ears.

"Aithusa!" Melrin and all the dwarfs who had been trying to cure Arthur called out. Will looked rather disappointed as he said, "Nice to know everyone's happy to see me as well."

"It's good to see you too, Will." Merlin said quickly, "But we need Aithusa to help with Arthur. We think he's under a spell."

"What kind of spell?" Aithusa asked, looking skeptically at the sobbing prince.

"A love spell." Leon responded.

Aithusa just smiled as he said, "Those are easy to break! All it takes is true loves kiss."

Suddenly all eyes were on Merlin, who was blushing furiously. "Are you sure?" he asked, receiving a quick nod in return. "But what if, you know, it's not me?"

"Of course it's you Merlin." Lancelot said, gently nudging him forward. "You can do this."

Merlin took a deep breath and nodded, before stepping toward Arthur. Arthur was shaking his head and trying to back away, which really wasn't helping his confidence level at all, but he continued on. He had to try, for Arthur. He ran his hands through Arthur's hair before sitting down on his lap and leaning forwards. He was about to press his lips against the prince's, but he fell short, shaking his head. "I can't do this." Merlin said, "Not with all of you watching."

The dwarfs groaned but Lancelot and Leon nodded, and made sure all of them had gone behind the house. Will had to tug Aithusa away while Lancelot had needed to put Gwaine in a headlock before he would leave, but eventually they all consented. Once they were all hidden from sight, Merlin placed a hand on either side of the prince's face and pressed his lips against Arthur's.


	10. Chapter 9: The Beast

**AN: Hello... I'm a terrible person. I am so sorry about how long this took. I just got distracted with college and legend of Emrys and season five and quantum physics, but these are all just excuses. I am so sorry.**

**But, it is here. Chapter nine. The penultimate chapter. Just got an epilogue left. Hopefully it will happen in less time than this one did, but I'm not going to promise anything.**

**You should all thank cristinareid for continuing to encourage me to write this, and wish her a happy birthday! This one's for you, girl!**

**And I don't own Merlin or Mirror Mirror. I would come up with something funny but it's three in the morning and I'm working on five hours of sleep a night for the past couple of weeks, so my brain is pretty shot. Thanks for reading and sticking with me over this terribly long break. I am so sorry.**

Chapter Nine: The Beast

The kiss had started out awkward. Arthur was still trying to pull away, and Merlin could hear Gwaine asking whether the others thought he was enjoying himself, which really hadn't helped with the overall mood. Eventually though, something had snapped, and Arthur's once resistant lips molded themselves against his own, and the prince was kissing him back. Merlin smiled but didn't pull away, thinking that the spell had actually been broken. He did flinch backwards as Aithusa's head popped up from behind an outcropping of rocks as the youngest dwarf asked, "Did it work?"

Merlin was blushing furiously as he looked down at Arthur's face. He looked happy, his eyes closed and a smile lingering on his lips. The camp was silent as they all waited for some sign, the other dwarfs having joined Aithusa in his position of half hidden behind the rocks. The silence was broken by Arthur, who sighed saying, "The king…"

Merlin turned his head away, trying not to think what it meant that the kiss had failed while the dwarfs groaned in unison. Arthur wasn't done speaking though, as he continued, "is nothing, compared to you."

Merlin perked up at this as the dwarfs gave out a cheer. As Arthur strained forward in his bonds Merlin realized what he wanted and brought his lips down for another, fully consensual kiss. Arthur was a much better kisser than Gwen, which he supposed wasn't saying much considering how awkward their tryst had been. Merlin could feel Arthur's arms twitch under his hands as he strained to bring them around Merlin, stopped by the ropes that had held him in place while he was slightly delusional. Merlin eventually did pull back, wanting to make sure Arthur didn't hurt himself straining against the ropes.

As soon as Arthur was freed they all moved inside. The sun was beginning to set and the night would be quite cold, but with so many bodies and a small fire in the hut it was cozy and warm. Merlin and the dwarfs had been filling an utterly befuddled Arthur in on the past events while the stew Merlin had made finished warming up.

"So I really was going to marry King Alined?" Arthur asked, rubbing his head slowly.

"Yeah." Merlin said, remembering how heartbroken he had been when he first heard, "You even 'yearned for the nectar of his skin'."

Arthur just looked completely confused as Leon said, "No, it was more like, 'I _yearn_ for the nectar of his skin.", the dwarfs who had tried to cure Arthur before the kiss joining in, ending with a long whine.

"That is just bizarre." Arthur said, "Thank you for rescuing me."

Merlin was about to respond when there was a giant crash from outside. Merlin met Arthur's confused and worried gaze for a moment, as the dwarfs all jumped to attention.

"The beast never comes this far east!" Lancelot shouted, as there was another thump. "What's it doing here?"

Merlin felt fear and guilt overwhelm him as he said, "It's here for me."

Merlin looked around at the eight concerned faces he had grown to care so much about, all watching him with concern. It couldn't be his fault they all died tonight. Whatever the king had sent this time was his problem and his alone. He took a deep breath and turned to them saying, "Gentlemen, I can think of no greater group of warriors to lead into battle." This was met by a cheer, as all his new friends watched him expectantly. "But this is my fight." Merlin finished, running out the door and into the snow covered woods. He paused briefly at the door, using his magic to lock it as Arthur's face appeared at the small window.

"Merlin, you have to let us out." The other prince said, "You don't have to face this alone!"

"No Arthur." Merlin said with a smile, laying his hand over the hand Arthur had squeezed through the window. "This is my battle, and mine alone. I can't let any of you get hurt trying to protect me."

"You don't have to worry about us, Merlin, just let me out! I've fought monsters before, this one will be no different. I want to protect you!"

Merlin shook his head quickly, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. He had been so close to having the perfect life, and now he was going to lose everything. "You have to do what I couldn't, Arthur. I need you to help my people. Promise me that."

"Merlin-"

"Please, just promise me."

"Fine! I promise! Merlin, I would do anything for you, but please don't make me sit back while you die!"

"I'm sorry, Arthur. I can't let you get hurt. I love you too much."

Merlin felt one tear roll down his check as he turned from the small cottage where Arthur was still shouting his name and ran into the forest. As he ran he heard the crashes and bangs that told him the beast was close behind and he definitely was the intended target. He tried to focus on the fact that the dwarfs and Arthur were safe as he lured the beast as far away from the dwarf's home as possible. Night had fallen and as darkness enveloped the forest Merlin couldn't help but stumble over the roots and rocks in his path. His fear was increasing his usually clumsiness, making it even more difficult for him to maneuver safely through the dark woods. He tried to jump down the ledge he had done some of his training on, but stumbled, falling in a heap on the snowy ground. Before he could rise from where he had fallen a foot connected with his side, kicking him and forcing him to roll onto his back. He was coughing as the foot returned, right atop his heaving chest, pressing him down into the snow. As he caught his breath he turned his face upwards to see the owner of the foot.

"It's you." Merlin said, staring into Alined's cold eyes. The king smirked down at him, before raising his foot and bringing it down on Merlin's stomach. As Merlin coughed, splattering the snow with red, Alined reached down grabbing his hair and pulling him into a kneeling position.

"Yes, Merlin. It's me. Do you know how long I've waited for this day? Years, little prince, years I have waited for the opportunity to end your miserable existence. But you had to enchant the kingdom with your simpering eyes and your foolish ways. All that ends now. This is my kingdom, and you are no longer welcome here."

With that Alined tossed Merlin back to the cold ground and turned back to the forest behind him, stroking a shining medallion as he looked into the woods. The thumping returned as the beast moved out of the shadows and up to the king. It didn't attack though, just hovered behind Alined's outstretched hand, as if waiting for a command. It looked strangely sad as its large eyes met Merlin's for a moment, and its eyes were much too human. But as the beast turned back to Alined Merlin's gaze was drawn away from the expressive eyes and to the horrifying body. It had the upper half of a wolf, with terrible claws and huge, glistening fangs, and the lower body of some type of serpent with a barbed tail that ended in a vicious claw. Of course this wasn't enough, as it also had wings that unfurled slowly as it rose up on its spiked tail, hovering dangerously behind Alined. Alined didn't seem to mind at all though, as he watched the creature with pleasure, before turning back to Merlin and saying, "Goodbye, Merlin. Tell your miserable mother I send my best."

With that Alined flicked his wrist and the beast moved. Merlin only had a second to jump up and run to prevent the monster from crashing on top of him. He ran back through the forest, trying to think of anything the dwarfs had taught him that could possibly protect him from such a creature. He tried to use his magic, blocking the path of the beast with branches and rocks as quickly as he could, but nothing seemed to be able to stop it as it continued after him, slithering when it could and soaring over every obstacle Merlin placed in his way. He was able to stop it momentarily by causing a tree to drop a huge pile of snow onto it, allowing him to get just out of eyesight of the beast as he ran into a small clearing, drawing his sword and watching the direction the beast would be coming. He might not be able to defeat the monster, but he would go down fighting.

* * *

Arthur had been throwing himself against the small door ever since Merlin ran off into the forest. There was no way he was letting Merlin face that terrible monster all alone. He would protect him and they would get out of this, together.

His ramming seemed to be doing nothing as the door remained, sturdy as ever. Arthur gave an exasperated sigh rubbing his now sore shoulder as he asked, "Doesn't one of you have a key?"

One of the dwarfs started to blush before reaching down and pulling a key from a string around his neck. The others started to chastise him as Arthur grabbed the key and shoved it in the door. Arthur was out the door in a second while the dwarfs still squabbled, allowing him to quickly shut and relock the door without letting them out. Merlin had wanted to protect these men; he wouldn't let his wishes go to waste. He didn't stick around to give any last words to the dwarfs like Merlin had, instead taking off into the woods following the footprints Merlin had left as he ran into the forest. When he saw a small amount of blood smattered near the path Arthur doubled his speed, pulling out his sword and glancing around for any sign of the beast that was after his love. He was almost certain he could hear it as he backed into a clearing and practically jumped out of his skin as he ran into something else moving.

"Arthur!" Merlin's voice came from behind him as he whirled around. "You weren't supposed to follow me!"

"I couldn't let you face this alone, Merlin. I love you." Arthur replied, resting a hand against Merlin's check. Merlin smiled sadly back at him before there was a huge crash and the most hideous creature Arthur had ever seen slithered out of the woods.

* * *

Lancelot hated being so helpless. How had they managed to get locked in their own house for the second time in one night? He had joined the dwarfs in bashing the door in a desperate attempt to get out to Merlin and Arthur and make sure they were alright. He hadn't know Merlin for long, but even in that short time he had seen that the young prince would make just as good of a leader as his parents had. And he was good and kind and deserved a better life than the one he had been given. So Lancelot was going to do everything in his power to make sure that Merlin got a chance to have the life he deserved. A life that most definitely didn't end tonight. The other dwarfs seemed to feel the same as they all tried to shove the door with all their strength. Unfortunately this meant it took them a while before they heard Aithusa calling out from behind them.

"GUYS!" Aithusa screamed, finally getting their attention. He looked incredibly determined as he glared at the door and said, "Stand back."

Then with a tiny grin and a shove of his arms the door blew outwards, letting Lancelot and the other dwarfs race out into the snow and towards Merlin and Arthur.

* * *

Merlin hated himself for it, but he was almost happy Arthur was with him. He couldn't die now, because if he died Arthur would have to face this horrid creature alone, and he couldn't allow that. He would live, live to protect Arthur.

That task was looking quite difficult as the beast circled them, trying to separate Merlin from Arthur, lunging and snapping, whipping its tail around behind it. It was too quick, too strong, and soon both Merlin and Arthur had been disarmed. Merlin tried using his magic against the beast, but his spells were deflected by some invisible force, never quite reaching the beast as it slithered towards him. He couldn't even see his sword anymore as he was backed up against a tree, able to smell the breath of the monster in front of him. He heard Arthur lung and was given a momentary reprieve from the nauseating smell as the beast turned to pin Arthur down with its tail before its attention was returned to Merlin. It was about to strike when a flurry of rocks and sticks were hurled at its head from a nearby ledge, and Merlin turned with the beast to see the seven dwarfs yelling and brandishing their weapons while Elyan and Aithusa launched whatever they could find at its head and back. The beast released Arthur to thump his tail heavily on the ground, causing the dwarfs to tumble from their perches, all falling from the ledge to the snowy ground below. Merlin wanted to go help but didn't have time before the monster was back in front of him, warm breath curling from its nostrils and lingering in the cold air before disappearing into the night. Merlin just had time to yank his father's dagger out from his belt before the beast lunged, just barely missing him as he dodged and thrust with the dagger.

Merlin might have avoided death for that moment, but it seemed his luck would not last for long as his second lung went wide and the dagger was knocked from his hand by the beast. He stumbled backwards, tripping over an exposed root and allowing the creature to position itself over him, slowing slithering forward while he scooted backwards, unable to think of any way to stop the beast that was about to devour him. If he had been able to hear anything over the beating of his frantic heart and the heavy pants of the monster he might have heard the dwarfs as they stumbled back up from their fall, doing their best to return his dagger to him. Most were of them were still too dazed from their fall to really be much help, but eventually the dagger made its way to Leon, who quickly tossed it to Arthur, whom the beast had forgotten as it approached its prey. Arthur gave the blade a quick glance before tossing it right below Merlin's hand. It landed with a dull thwump, momentarily distracting both the prince and creature before Merlin yanked it out of the ground and held it between him and the monster. Its gaze locked on Merlin's, once more surprising him with its oh-so-human eyes. He couldn't believe how sad it looked, how helpless. As the moon emerged from behind a cloud Merlin's eyes were drawn down to a shining silver chain that encircled the creature's neck, holding a very familiar medallion in place.

Merlin's brows creased. That was the same medallion he had seen around Alined's neck. What would the beast be doing with something like that? He glanced back at the knife in his hand before returning his gaze to the medallion and then back to the creature's eyes. It looked so weary and lost for something that seemed so powerful as it hummed softly and leaned its neck forward, gently closing its eyes. Merlin knew it was silly, that he should use this opportunity to slay the beast, but instead he thrust upwards, catching the chain with his dagger and slicing it cleanly, removing the strange accessory from the beast's neck and filling the forest with an incredible burst of brilliant white light.


End file.
